Disc Reviews

The Hitcher 4K Review

• 23rd Sep 2024

The Hitcher returns to us via Second Sight for the 4K treatment, and frankly, this is one of Second Sight’s best to date. Robert Harmon’s edgy, beautiful and tense thriller sees a young man, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) travelling across American states on his lonesome. After almost falling asleep at the wheel he decides to pick up the titular character (Rutger Hauer) and from there things turn very sour for poor Jim.

The Hitcher became a very quick cult classic when it hit video in the mid to late 80s. Writer Eric Red had a similar claim to fame with the film we wrote next (Near Dark). Rutger Hauer was already a name in the cult world and this just helped solidify that reputation. His character of John Ryder comes and goes from the film like a haunting spirit who can disappear at will and yet be there when you least expect him to be. That is to say, this film has a very spooky atmosphere about it that begs you to just accept what you might believe to be contrivances.  This man is out to haunt Jim and therefore he can’t play by mere mortal rules. But it’s his willingness to test Halsey to his limits and almost beg of him to step up and beat him that makes the relationship between the two so captivating, and it’s all captured beautifully by John Seale (Mad Max Fury Road). The landscape used in this, largely, road movie is just as evocative.  Desolate, empty roads, haunted by a murderous vagabond, looking for purpose and finding constant disappointment in the people he encounters.

C. Thomas Howell may not quite have the iconic part, but he plays Halsey as a young man who doesn’t realise the peril he’s put himself in and traverses a landscape of awkward laughter, fear, and terror and keeps pushing the emotional buttons in every scene until you see the character break before he can start to rebuild himself and face his destiny. The film would be lost without Howell’s performance and you can see why he’s shown up so often to re-premote it in his life.

Jeniffer Jason Leigh also shows up in an important supporting role, but despite her input, it’s the two main guys that you are focussed on. The film is tense and also very tight in its running time (like they used to make them!).

The Hitcher has had a 4K run at theatres briefly and if you didn’t catch any of that then make sure you grab this disc because the picture quality of this one looked absurdly good.

It’s been maybe 20 years since we have the original DVD release for this film, and that came packed with a making-of documentary, a commentary and various short films. Pretty much all of that material is here again (save for a short film Rutger Hauer made called The Room which is missing from this release sadly). But Robert Harmons short film China Lake is here and looks great. You can clearly see why he was picked for this job when you see that film.

The great news is that Harmon, C. Thomas Howell, writer Eric Red, cinematographer John Seal and composer Mark Isham all show up for lengthy, new interviews to celebrate the 4K re-release of the film. Every one of these interviews is a cracking good chat with the filmmakers as they divulge even more about the film. This is one of Second Sight’s, if not their, best 4K package to date. If this is how they are going to treat films going forward then everyone get on their knees and pray they get hold of Near Dark!

Steven Hurst

Full contents:

Special Features

• A new 4K restoration by Second Sight Films from the original camera negative supervised and

approved by director Robert Harmon

• UHD presented in HDR with Dolby Vision

• Features Dolby Atmos and original stereo audio mixes

• New audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

• Audio commentary with Robert Harmon and writer Eric Red

• Scene-specific audio commentary with Robert Harmon, Eric Red, Executive Producer Edward S Feldman, Composer Mark Isham, Director of Photography John Seale and Actors Rutger Hauer and C Thomas Howell

• The Projection Booth Podcast: featuring Robert Harmon and Rutger Hauer

• Bullseye: a new interview with Robert Harmon

• Penning the Ripper: a new interview with Eric Red

• Doomed to Live: a new interview with C Thomas Howell

• The Man from Oz: a new interview with John Seale

• A Very Formative Score: a new interview with Mark Isham

• Duel Runner: Leigh Singer on the evolution of The Hitcher and Rutger Hauer

• China Lake: a short film by Robert Harmon newly restored

• The Calling Card: Robert Harmon on China Lake

• Telephone: a short film by Eric Red

• The Hitcher: How do these movies get made?

• Trailers

Limited Edition Contents

• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Adam Stothard

• 200-page hardback book with exclusive Robert Harmon interview by Lou Thomas, exclusive Eric Red

interview by Matt Thrift, new essays by Heather Drain, David Kittredge, Craig Ian Mann, Rebecca

McCallum, Meagan Navarro and Jon Towlson

• Eric Red’s original screenplay book

• Six collectors’ art cards

The Hitcher is out on 30^th September