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THE HITCHER |
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By : Suzanne Philips |
Movie Reviews List | |
| THE HITCHER Written by Eric Red (original screenplay), Jake Wade Wall (WHEN A STRANGER CALLS) & Eric Bernt (ROMEO MUST DIE) Directed by Dave Meyers (various music videos) Starring Sean Bean, Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill), Zachary Knighton (THE PRINCE & ME) Rated R Running Time 1 hour 23 min High profile music video director Dave Meyers has tackled a remake of the 1986 horror film THE HITCHER with an updated look and cast and a little help from Michael Bay. Two college students set out on a road trip to Spring Break in Lake Havasu, Arizona. After nearly hitting a stranded motorist on a rainy stretch of road, they agree to give the mysterious stranger a lift to the next town. Little do they know, this man has an agenda - to kill. Director Dave Meyers does a nice job with this remake, and used his considerable knowledge of music videos to provide THE HITCHER with a great soundtrack and vivid locations. The colors in the film are nice and the pace keeps moving throughout the film. Both Meyers and the writers do a good job of amping up the adrenaline with some scary scenes and action and then suddenly switching to some quieter moments which serve to make the audience unsure of when the next threat will come. With Michael Bay as a producer, you know there are going to be huge action sequences with lots of things that blow up and get shot. This film certainly doesn't disappoint on that front, and action film fans should be quite happy with the array of action here. There is a lot of gore and some gratuitous nudity which is pretty pointless, so be careful of taking younger viewers with you to see this one. Sean Bean is, as per his usual, fantastic as the bad guy. The thing that makes Bean's hitcher different from the original as played by Rutger Hauer is that Bean gives you glimpses into the fact that there is some reason to the madness of the character. While the actual motives for him to kill are never explained, Bean manages through facial expressions and small gestures to show you a tiny glimpse into what's going on behind the insanity. Sophia Bush was pretty good as the young co-ed Grace, whose life is turned upside down by this psycho. I liked that she didn't portray the typical girl in a horror film who screams and waits for someone to save her. While she does have her moments of breakdown, she still takes action and kicks some butt. Zachary Knighton I found to be annoying for most of the film. The hitchhiker even calls him Grace's "whiney boyfriend" at one point and that couldn't be more on the mark. I don't know if it was Knighton's portrayal or the way the character was written, but this character couldn't be more annoying. Certainly THE HITCHER is not a cinematic masterpiece, but if you enjoy horror films, guns and big action sequences, it is a good popcorn film for a weekend. 2 1/2 out of 5 |
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