Studio executives summary / pitch
|
| Will
he get him, or will he escape? Hitch hiking, horror, road movie classic.
|
Short plot
summary |
|
A young man,
Jim Holsey (C Thomas Howell), on a long distance journey, picks up a troublesome
Hitcher (John Ryder - Rutger Hauer) who he cannot get rid of... Jim
manages to shove Ryder out of the car, but he gets another lift and looks set
to frame Jim by committing a number of murders which everyone seems to believe
Jim has done. Ryder
sets light to a seemingly deserted garage. Jim manages to escape this. He goes
on to another garage where he meets up with a girl (Nash - Jennifer Jason Leigh). Nash
continues on the journey with Jim, but is captured by Ryder, who after tying her
behind a truck pulls her in half when he accelerates away. But the police had
already been called and see everything. Ryder
is arrested after this. As
Ryder is taken away in a prison truck, he manages to get hold of a gun. Jim goes
after him (after telling the officer in the vehicle he is traveling in to get
out)... |
What our
panel of critics thought |
|
"Mr
Hauer! Now I know why you pissed Harrison Ford off so much in Blade Runner. You
really are a nasty piece of work, my dear. I would ask for my money back but something
tells me it will be worth me running as fast as my aging legs can go rather than
provoke your grumpy ass!" "Did
you go to acting school to learn how to be such a crazy boy, Mr Hauer? or does
it come naturally?" "Mr
Hauer, who does your hair?" "I
live in Hollywood and, ironically, I saw Rutger hitch hiking the other day. I
know what you are thinking... would I give him a lift after watching this movie?
Well, I know him quite well so did, but I can tell you now there were a large
number of screams as I did so, and had he told me he wasn't getting out of my
car at the end I would have shat myself." "Why
wouldn't the police help Jim untie the ropes holding Nash while she was hung between
the trucks, just before she was ripped in the middle in exactly the way sawing
a woman in half works in real life?" "Here's
another lesson, young man. Don't just go up to the enemy and prod him with something
to see if he is dead, always shoot them again!" "Bottom
line is Ryder wanted to die at the end or he could have got Jim (or at least he
could have waited for him to leave). What's with throwing the hand cuff's and
all? Did they run out of time for the filming? Hmmm?" |
Please
tell me the ending
|
| As
Jim approaches the back of the prison truck, John starts firing at him. John
jumps out of the truck and in through the front windscreen of Jim's car. Jim slams
on the brakes and John goes back out of the windscreen. John is weakened but gets
up. The gun is between Jim and John. John
takes the gun, he fires into the auto. Jim eventually starts the car and drives
fast into John.
John plays dead. Jim turns his back. John gets up, throws his manacles at Jim's
feet. Jim turns and shoots him. John
Ryder dies. |
Justify
this movie's existence in the classic strand from
theVoiceofReason.com's Veritable Cornucopia |
|
A veritable
nightmare following a nice-but-stupid gesture of helping ones fellow man out in
the rainy elements. Bad luck, young man, for your life is about to become a nightmare
of murder, cop killing and girlfriend stretching that only a truly deranged blonde
could have thought of. This
movie is dangerous for another reason, however. In ones hitch hiking youth one
made avail of kindly souls to whisk me from A to B (generally via C, D and E by
the way - but that is for another moment of rant) but since this movie was released,
getting someone to stop has diminished perceptibly. And
who can blame them, after this tautly woven nightmare of 'look behind you young
man or you're gonna-get-it' ness? This
movie swiftly carried one from moment to moment for one is never sure when that
beastly blonde will jump back at you in his fiendish attempt to make mustard of
your sinews. Wonderful and original if not a little grisly. |
What
snack should I eat while watching this movie?
|
| Any
hot drinks in a straight-from-garage paper cup (with lid) and chocolate bar. |
Alternative casting suggestions |
|
Mike Tyson as
John Ryder. Adam Sanders as Jim Holsey. |
If this
was on at a drive-in what weather conditions would you endure to see it to the
end? |
|
This is a definitive
drive-in movie. There is no weather condition that should deter you, although
if someone asks to sit with you in your car while you watch it do not let them
lest you be mashed. |
If I were to watch this on video/DVD how best should I sit? |
| Make
sure your back is against a wall (to stop attack from behind) DO NOT LET ANYONE
SIT TO YOUR RIGHT as that would be very bad. |
Could this
be made into a children's cartoon show? |
| It
has been. This movie is basically a live action Roadrunner. Hauer is Willie Coyote
without the Acme cement. |
Is there
enough licky love in this film? |
|
A moment of
in-bed togetherness involving Jim and Nash, and then John and Nash and then the
stretching/splitting starts. One
moment of lip-on-cheek man on man action early on in the piece (this may be censored
for a TV audience). |
How funny
is this film? |
|
An absolute
classic, but few belly laughs. You cannot help but laugh out loud at times when
our hero escapes, this is mostly a nervous reaction. |
Would
your cat like this movie? Would your dog like it? Other pets?
|
| Dogs
will like the movie as Willie Coyote is one of their heroes. They are liable to
get disappointed at the end so make sure your dog antidepressant tablets are on
hand. Cats
will like this movie too - although be prepared for them to shriek out when they
get annoyed by Hauer's unlikely recovery at times. Emu's
or any animals closely linked to the type of bird in the Roadrunner cartoon will
love this movie. They may even scream "Me! Me!" at times, beware. |
How much
would you pay for a copy of this movie in goods. |
| A
voucher for a free days car rental. |
Would this
movie win awards for performances of the f-word? |
| Can't
actually remember if we heard the word. We were too busy screaming it ourselves
during the movie. A triumph! |
Does the
film attempt technobabble? If so does this succeed? |
| No
motor mechanics mentioned at all, excellent.
No blue prints being considered before attack, fantastic. No
computer graphics (thankfully: this movie was made at the time of the original
Atari games console), top marks. |
Other comments
|
| A
great road movie and a car chase movie combined.
Even though it is highly unlikely, it is darkly believable - it's all of your
worst across-country driving nightmares all rolled into one. Compulsive. |