The Hitcher

***MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS*** Absolutely mind-blowing and shocking. It was very brutal and bloody and intense, and that's really all this movie is meant to be. Sean Bean (Flightplan, National Treasure, Silent Hill) is absolutely horrifying. He plays the part so well it actually made me believe he was an actual hitcher/murderer. Surprisingly, the other unknown actors were pretty good. Most of them weren't in many big films. So, the whole plot line: A college couple Grace Andrews (Sophia Bush) and Jim Hasley (Zachary Knighton) encounter a hitcher named John Ryder (Sean Bean), and little do Grace and Jim know, that he is very, very dangerous. They pick him up in their 1970 Oldsmobile 442, and Grace's and Jim's waking nightmare begins. Their initial encounters with John Ryder are increasingly uncomfortable and off-putting for Grace and Jim, and they bravely fight back when Ryder ambushes them. But, they are horrifically blindsided when he involves them in a terrifying slaying and continues to shadow them. And soon, the open highway road becomes a dangerous place and becomes a battleground of blood, metal, and guns, and trying not to avoid Ryder but also the New Mexico State Police Lieutenant Esteridge's (Neal McDonough) officers, Grace and Jim must bravely and terrifyingly fight for their lives and face their most nightmarish fears head-on. There are also many gory parts in the movie. NOTE: THIS MAY EXTREMELY SPOIL THE MOVIE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE GORY PARTS UNTIL THEY SEE THE MOVIE. --A man is tied between two trucks, and is then torn apart. --A man's throat is slashed, and blood spurts and sprays. It's very graphic. Yay. I can't think of any more gory parts at the moment, but I think those will give you a pretty clear idea on how gory the movie is. It's a brutal adventure and it's an awesome movie. The best movie of the month. Violence/Gore: 8/10, Sex/Nudity: 5/10, Profanity: 6/10, Drugs/Alcohol: 2/10 Original MPAA rating: R: Strong Bloody Violence, Terror, and Language My MPAA rating: R: Strong Bloody Violence, Brutality, Terror, and Language, and A Brief Scene of Sexuality/Nudity My Canadian rating: 18A: Gory Violence, Frightening Scenes, Disturbing Content, Coarse Language

The whole movie just does not make any sense. Nothing is explained about the Killer. Not his purposed, not his background, nothing. He's somehow omniscient and close to omnipotent. Yet, he looks like any random guy. It's hard to swallow without an explanation. That kind of stuff was OK in the 80s, but not anymore in my book. The worst part is the reaction of the other characters. The cops are beyond stupid and useless. The 2 main characters are clueless idiots, running from the police instead of seeking protection. They even keep on running after the Killer found several of their hiding places. The movie doesn't last long, but the end still feel stretched out. The cops obviously have to underestimate a guy who had already killed 20 of them armed with only a knife and incredible luck. The whole story and all the characters are beyond stupid. It's like they didn't even try to make sense. And you can see every plot surprises or twists coming from a mile away. It's a shame, because it could have been a decent movie. Everything else is pretty good. The directing is generic but OK. The actors are decent and - for those it might interest - Sophia Bush is hot. With a bit less sex-appeal, Sean Bean, Neal McDonough and even Z. Knighton are convincing enough. In summary, it looks good, it flows well, but the stupid and illogical scenario make is painful to watch to the end.

This movie was amazing.... amazingly bad. Michael Bay has succeeded in ruining a cult classic. He didn't just "modernize" it like Ms. Bush said in an interview; he ruined it. Lt. Esteridge was supposed to live so that Jim can become a cop, go to visit Esteridge later on and thus we had The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting. But no! Jim, rather than Grace, was split in half by the semi; Esteridge gets shot in the head; and the annoying female lead survives. Bay took the scariest and most dramatic parts of the movie, such as the knife to the eye and when he's in the family's station wagon.... and winged the rest of it! I went in expecting something that resembled the first Hitcher, something that could at least lead up to Jake Busey being the 2nd crazy Hitcher. What I got was an entire disappointment. I wish I never saw this version; I want my money back. I expected more from a man who directed The Rock, Bad Boys 1 and 2, and even Armaggedon.