The Hitcher [Blu-ray] | ![The Hitcher [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51bytF60w8L._SL500_.jpg) | Actors: Sean Bean, Mike Fisher, Jeff Hutchinson, Neal McDonough, Skip O'Brien
Studio: Alliance Canada
Category: DVD
List Price: $35.98
Buy New: $14.48
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Rating:  90 reviews
Sales Rank: 55182
Format: AC-3, Color, DTS Surround Sound, Import, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Blu-ray
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 84 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5
UPC: 065935830047
EAN: 0065935830047
ASIN: B002JT69OG
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: October 6, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
20 years is a long time in the lifeline of movie plot-arc necessities. It's also a pretty big generational stretch in the lives of audience demographics, which may be part of the reason the producers of this remake of the 1986 cult horror classic felt the need to update the original spare mano-a-mano backbone into a girl-and-mano-a-mano. The Twilight Zone-ish setup is still a pretty neat idea: regular guy on a lonely highway picks up a hitchhiker who turns out to be a psychopathic killer with some very unsettling supernatural might. Fans of the original could hardly hope for a demon villain with such creepy charisma as Rutger Hauer. But Sean Bean makes a respectable replacement, with his understated stare and stewing rage that brings a new brand of hair-raising devilry to the role of hitcher John Ryder. The lone "good guy" originated by a boyish C. Thomas Howell has been upgraded to a lovesick couple. In a twisty touch, Jim (Zachary Knighton, sorta unknown) and Grace (Sophia Bush, of One Tree Hill fame) trade gender roles, with Jim turning wimpy and feminine and Grace becoming a shotgun-toting testoster-ette. The body count's a little higher and the gore factor increased by the power of 20 (years), but some of the original film's set pieces remain much the same-- body-snapping case in point being an 18-wheeler being put to use as a old-fashioned torture rack. While the original might have placed a bit more emphasis on the philosophical and existential elements of evil passing from soul to soul, it wasn't exactly an intellectual thrill ride. Likewise, 2007's The Hitcher is no art film, and it can't be faulted for choosing fright and might for audiences that are always looking for bigger and more elaborate splats for their horror entertainment buck. And if you stick out your thumb for this one, expect plenty of splat. --Ted Fry
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 90
ok February 4, 2010
Meg (U.S.)
The movie was a typical attempt at a suspense thriller. Overall, it was predictable and lacking in character substance, and I found myself more angry at the heroines for their stupid decisions then anything else. That being said I found the movie entertaining. The plot and the actors were all decent and it did not try to rely strictly on the gore factor (although, there was a good amount of it involved).
 Indeed a thriller! January 26, 2010
Poet
In this thriller I did not move my eyes from the screen for even one second. It was absolutely terrific! Often I recoiled twitching by the gruesome bloody carnages. The villain was one of the most intriguing psychopaths ever created on films, partly because the viewer through the heroine tries to figure him out, but without success. He was not the ordinary stalker or the ordinary serial killer; in fact he had no archetype. He was more of a sporadic maniac killing randomly due to his capricious mood. Moreover he was reflecting something that made people trust him; this way he fooled the family who picked him up before he slaughtered them all; here the viewer gets both abhorred and furious. He is the hitch-hiker you do not want to have in your car, so the film had a good point, and a great message, a warning not to trust strangers. The heroine couldn't understand (not in her mind, but in her heart she felt he was wicked) his sick evil intentions, not until the very end. The villain, who has stolen one of his victims' identity, the mystery man who had no records, no prints, no identification, no information about him of whatsoever, was toying with the police the way a cat toys with a mouse. There was something demonic or almost supernatural about the villain, terrific, and uncanny. The only one that really deserves the viewers' compassion is grace, because she is the only one smart enough to sense the presence of a psychopath and not to trust him. Later she is the only one to deserve the admiration of the viewer by standing up against the system and against the villain by taking matters into her own hands and putting an end to everybody's worst nightmare. The villain fancied her because she was not wickedly stupid or naïve like all the rest of the people in the film. She was not an amateur, and he finally found his match, he knew that she had the stomach to put an end to his crimes, but he had to stretch her to that limit; he had to squeeze the lemon out of her and make her a super heroine. She had to choose between killing the villain or letting her boyfriend be killed by him; yet she still denied the villain's ultimatum of being murdered by her; a dilemma which cost her boyfriend his life (What a gruesome death! It was absolutely Appalling!), but changed her into an Amazonian hunter of vengeance. The attraction law made it clear that the more she rejected the villain the more he was attracted to her. The police in this film were depicted as fanatics on the verge of stupidity. In fact they were so dumb all along that the viewer felt good about the fact that the villain had to save the innocent couple whom he stalked all along from the hands of the shooting maniac police. There was a bigger chance that the innocent would be killed by the maniac police than by the relatively rational villain. How stupid could the police be!? Just like in reality?! A brilliant film! The waitress and the gas station seller were evil in their ignorance, like the police they were very judgmental, blind, and fanatic. Instead of checking the facts or being slightly reasonable they maliciously and harshly condemned the young couple to a tragedy. The gas station seller was the most hated character in this film, a real brainless moron! This film shares clearly a mordant critic against the ignorance of society. The unexpected was a key success in this film. The viewer did not expect the villain to break free from his tight handcuffs and finish off the entire police force, not to mention to mange to stand eventually with a gun alone against the chief of police. Ironically the police's chief was killed by his own personal pistol. At that moment when grace managed to break out of the burning police van with a rifle, one trivially may think she would save the chief of police, but no! No mercy! The villain, like the brilliant script writer is ruthless! He shot the police chief right between the eyes, which caused to a mixed feeling among the viewers! Then, the end was the only catharsis! What a thriller! I took a big breath and thought, `Goodness I want to see that movie again!'
 not same story December 21, 2009
C. Light (Central, Texas)
I hate when they bill a remake w hen its not the same story..though I appreciate the addition of the girl from the beginning of the story and her short skirt... I think its greatly lacking the chemistry between the 2 male characters and their bizarre relationship that sets off the original... bill it as something similar but dont bill it as the same movie..sucked.
 Full-Throttle Action, All The Way! April 6, 2009
Vince
To start with, I'm tired of those idiots who give away an entire plot, instead of just reviewing the movie. Every movie I check out, there's at at least 5 morons who give away everything, and don't even talk about the movie (yes, it's possible). So, with that, read on if you're still interested.
This movie is categorized as either thriller/horror. I would say that it's more of an action-adventure/thriller. Sure, you'll see blood and gore, but for the most part, this is an edge-of-your-seat-action ride of a movie. If it helps, I would say that this movie has more action than your typical action movie. If you took your typical movie, with around 2 hours of screen time, and cut out all the unnecessary BS, and jacked it full of action, then you would get "The Hitcher".
The plot does seeem simple, and the unknown actors do not give the greatest performance, but the movie is still awesome, no matter what. If you're tired of the current state of horror genre movies, from the past 8 years, then you might take a liking to this movie. Whereas your typical so called thriller/horror movies follow the same, lame predictable story line, this does things just a little differently. Plus, the production, camera angles, and camera shooting are all top-notch. This is a movie that is not painful to watch because it wasn't shot properly, or the sound was off. Film production was done right. As you might notice from the other reviewers, the complaints are all about the story, and not the film production.
The Bottom Line: Kick-a** movie that you'll watch over and over again, defintely a surprise hit for me. I didn't expect any new movie to be this good.
NOTE: The extra features include behind the scenes, and making of footage, for those who want it.
----"The True Critic"
This movie rocks! March 9, 2009
Amber M. Smith (Bristol, CT USA)
I really enjoyed this movie. I purchases it because I owned it before and it was stolen, so it was definitely good enough to buy again. I think it could have used some more gore, but still a good plot. Plus the actor who plays the psychotic hitchhiking killer is hot!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 90
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