The Hitch-Hiker

The Hitch-Hiker

I saw this movie recently for the first time on Turner Classic Movies. This is a tough and suspenseful little movie. The killer is a truly evil character; no ambiguity about his character as you might expect in a more recent film. It must have been considered a brutal film when it was made, though its mild by today's standards. The location setting in the bleak desert adds to movie's atmosphere and tone. And, it was directed by a woman, rare today, and even more rare in the 50s. Exciting, fast-paced, and never boring.

THE HITCH-HIKER is based on a true story, which makes it all the more creepy. Well-directed by Ida Lupino; it was powerful without a lotta trappings. Simple story, inexpensive exterior shooting, and tight acting. Starred William Talman (the bungling D.A. of Perry Mason), Frank Lovejoy, and... Edmund O'Brien. Never was much a fan of the early O'Brien-- he doesn't pull off the toughness he tries for, so I was on-guard for some over-acting from him. No worries this time, for the most part. But TALMAN was the great surprise! Wow! What happened to his career after this film?? He was terrific in this role. His villain wasn't one of those super-intelligent, epitome-of-evil psychos. He's not an exotic, like Hannibal Lecter. Nor did Talman act like one of those oh-so-polite sorts. (As if it makes them more menacing to have nice manners when they threaten you. Think "Goldfinger".) No, Talman was effective as a more true-to-life sort.. the kind that seems more menacing to me as a viewer, because you really might run into this bastard. The only politeness he showed to his victims was to offer them a cigarette. And when he was feeling pleased with himself for nearing the end of his escape, he bought them a beer. Talman's character was a pushy sadist, but never tried to spice it up by pretending to be nice. His ugly game of target practice was evil-- he held one guy at gunpoint and made him shoot a rifle at his friend, who was forced to hold up a tin can. (I don't think this is too much of a spoiler.) He wasn't a Brainiac, just had a talent for staying in control, keeping a never-closing vigilante eye (his creepy-looking right eye wouldn't close when he slept, so his hostages never knew when to try anything). He invested all his energy into avoiding capture. Lovejoy and O'Brien worked well together as the Normal Joes who happened to pick up the wrong guy. Again, because they're more true-to-life, you can identify with them better than a hard-boiled detective. Realistic location shooting also makes this simple story more powerful. Lupino deserves credit as a film-maker, and I'm glad she's being recognized more and more.

Usually when movies based on factual events start with a warning that it easily could have happened to you instead of to the characters, you don't pay too much attention to it, as it mostly handles about unlikely situations. Sure you'll wonder how you'd respond or randomly imagine what it would feel like, but in general the true events won't haunt your thoughts for long. In the case of Ida Lupino's "The Hitch-Hiker", this is totally different! Chances are high that once in your life, or maybe even recently, you picked up a hitcher and, after seeing this film, you won't do that again any time soon. That's how much of an impression this excellent film-noir will make on you. This flawlessly acted & directed thriller sustains a uniquely tense atmosphere from start to finish, and this without reverting to explicit violence or dreadful clichés. Inspired by the real-life murder case of Billy Cook, the plot centers on merciless serial killer Emmett Myers, who hitchhikes on the quiet roads of rural America but coldly executes the people that are kind enough to offer him a ride. As the list of casualties dramatically increases and police forces get to close on his tail, Myers hijacks one last car to escape into Mexico. The unfortunate passengers are Roy Collins and Gilbert Bowen, two buddies on their way for a fishing weekend. Myers continuously holds them at gunpoint, even sleeping with one eye open, and makes perfectly clear they aren't supposed to survive the journey. Amazingly realistic in "The Hitch-Hiker" is the depiction of Roy and Gilbert's behavior. Even though they have nothing to lose, they always obey their hijacker and live in fear for him. Perhaps it's because the director is a woman, but there's absolutely no macho nonsense or tough dialogs going on here. Myers is the guy with the gun and certainly not afraid to use it, so you obey his every command. William Talman's performance as the maniac is simply perplexing! With his odd eyes, monotonous voice and overall nihilistic world perspective, he definitely makes one of the scariest villains in the history of film-noir cinema. Top recommendation, don't miss it.

This is one of the earliest film portrayals of a spree killer and the first film directed by Ida Lupino. Hence it has some historical interest. However, it is by no stretch of the imagination in the "film noir" genre, as many suggest. Classic film noir involves urban settings, a motley crew of criminals and their associates, a double and preferably a triple cross, a femme fatale, lots of rain and dark shadows, and a hero who enters into the underworld reluctantly and inadvisedly. Although no "film noir" classic has all of these conventions, most have a great many. This film has none. It does have great film noir cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca ( "Stranger on the 3rd Floor", "Cat People", "Out of the Past", "They Clash By Night", "The Blue Gardenia") and he does use some of his sharp black and white photography to make this a very watchable film. Don't expect film noir, nor will you get much psychological analysis of the spree killer. The performances are good and the direction is taut, but there are far better films from this era, and certainly people like Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy did far better jobs in far better films.

"The Hitch-Hiker" is an excellent little independently produced film-noire thriller directed by Ida Lupino. It is essentially a three character story about two pals on a fishing trip (or is it?) who stop to pick up a hitch-hiker whose car has apparently broken down, What they don't realize is that the hitchhiker is a crazed killer. The two buddies are played by two of the best character actors of the period, Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy. The hitcher, in the role of his career, is played by William Tallman (of TV's Perry Mason fame). The story covers their trek across the desert back roads of Mexico in an effort to evade the law. Most of the film takes place within the claustrophobic confines of O'Brien's car as he and Lovejoy remain at the mercy of loose cannon Tallman never knowing where or when he might decide to shoot them. Lupino gives us a compact, tense and suspenseful thriller. Shot in black and white, it runs a brief 71 minutes and delivers an excellent drama on a limited budget. Rarely seen today, this movie is a buried little treasure.

Ida Lupino was a very good actress, but she was even a better director and movie executive. She really understood all the elements of film and film noir and put them into this masterpiece made for chump change. The twenty best films of the 21st century that feature suspense and tension (Speed and others), cannot come close to this film. Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy give outstanding performances; with Lovejoy doing his best work ever in this film. The real star of the film, however, is the underrated actor William Talman, in the best work of his career (and one that deserved an Oscar nomination) as the psycho killer. It was a shame that Hollywood at this time considered this genre subpar and not worthy of Academy Awards, when in fact, several mediocre films received much higher praise (like the sappy The Greatest Show On Earth and the corny An American in Paris). This is a perfect film for a film professor of Cinema 101 to use as an example of how to create suspense and hold it for an hour. How to keep tension for an hour is not an easy feat to achieve, and it is seldom found in the vast majority of films. But Lupino did it; not just once, but several times after this great effort. A film not to be missed by any serious film buff.

...THE HITCH-HIKER is the original, '50s-made hitchhiking nightmare film. It's a straightforward three-hander in which a couple of buddies (Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy) are accosted by a manic serial killer (William Talman), who forces them to drive him to Mexico in order for him to escape the authorities. This is a low budget, black and white suspense thriller that has more tension in it than a dozen recent movies. The low budget works in its favour, with tight camera angles making for a claustrophobic viewing experience. Actress Ida Lupino certainly knows what she's doing behind the camera as she rarely puts a foot wrong here: the pacing is exact and the performances are excellent. While O'Brien and Lovejoy ground the movie playing the two protagonists, but in reality this is Talman's turn. He gives a pitch perfect turn as the creepy villain, one that would pave the way for later screen psychos like Robert Mitchum's character in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. Talman's acting is the stuff of brilliance, and he alone makes the film worth watching. The rest of it is the icing on the cake.

Two old army buddies (Edmund O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy) take off on a fishing trip from California to the Mexican coast. At the same time, a fugitive serial killer (William Tallman) is hitch-hiking and killing his way across the country. They intersect in the desert, just before the Mexican border. He hijacks and holds them hostage on an odyssey into hell. We follow them deeper and deeper into the beautiful, but hostile desert as Tallman seems to outwit the authorities time and again. They become more and more terrified as he becomes more and more psycho. He displays a kind of pure malice and cruelty that makes your skin crawl. Example: He forces one of the buddies to shoot the glass out of the other's hand. His evil character has a drooping right eye. While preparing to sleep around a campfire, he dares the captives to guess whether he is awake or asleep. They guess wrong - he kills them. The viewer takes this trip across the desert with them, all the way to their final destination, and the climax of this exciting film. It is easy to see why Ida Lupino, was considered one of the premier film noir directors. Her concept of the fishing buddies, courageous, proud, but terrified reaches right down into our guts. But it is her balanced vision of the evil, intelligent, unpredictable killer that defines the film. This is a keeper. If you like it - and how could you not - try Split Second. There is a curious coincidence between these two films. Both were directed by famous and respected actors. This by Ida Lupino and the other by Dick Powell.