The Hitcher (1986)

A young man who escaped the clutches of a murderous hitch-hiker is subsequently stalked, framed for the hitcher’s crimes, and has his life made into hell by the same man he escaped.

• Director: Robert Harmon
• Genre:Action / Drama / Horror / Thriller
• Runtime:98 minutes

Cast

Rutger Hauer : John Ryder
C. Thomas Howell : Jim Halsey
Jennifer Jason Leigh : Nash
Jeffrey DeMunn : Captain Esteridge
John M. Jackson .: Sergeant Starr (as John Jackson)

Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell), a young man delivering a car from Chicago to San Diego, spots a man hitchhiking and gives him a ride. The man, John Ryder (Rutger Hauer), is a brooding, soft spoken man; when Jim passes a stranded car, however, Ryder’s personality suddenly shifts. Ryder calmly states that the reason the car is stranded is because he murdered and mutilated the driver, and he intends to do the same to Jim. Ryder produces a switchblade knife and taunts Jim for several moments before Jim realizes Ryder had never put on his seat belt and that the car door was left ajar, so he knocks him out of the car’s passenger door.

Relieved, Jim continues on his journey but sees Ryder with a family on vacation. He tries to warn them but it is too late, the family is dead. There is an extended chase sequence; Ryder reveals he wants Jim to kill him, putting an end to his killing spree. Jim retreats to a roadside diner, where he meets a pretty young waitress named Nash (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and calls the police. She then serves him a cheeseburger and french fries; he starts to relax. One of the fries is a severed finger; Jim tries to flee but he is arrested. Ryder had stolen his wallet and planted it on a murder victim. Jim is jailed. Ryder later infiltrates the jail, kills the cops and unlocks the cell. Jim steals a gun and flees.

He attempts to clear his name by hassling two other officers. This fails when Ryder kills them as well. Jim contemplates suicide but resolves to keep going. After another confrontation, Jim finds Nash at a Greyhound bus station. Vengeful cops show up to kill Jim. Nash decides to help Jim and assists in their escape. While the two flee, Ryder helps them by shooting down a police helicopter, as it is in the way of his objective to kill Jim.

Jim and Nash hide out in a roadside motel. Ryder finally catches up to them and kidnaps Nash, later tying her between two trucks. The police recruit Jim to try to save Nash, but it is unsuccessful, and Ryder causes her death. He is soon arrested, but the cops cannot find any information on Ryder. As Ryder is being transferred to another facillity, Jim cannot contain the urge to kill Ryder in revenge for the death of Nash and steals a weapon, a police car and goes after Ryder. It is fortunate that Jim tracks down Ryder, as he has murdered his police escort. A gun battle ensues between the two and Jim manages to kill him. Read more

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