Hitcher

Theatrical Release Date: 2007 01 19 (USA)

UPC: 025193327727

Studio: Universal Studios

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Graphic Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Profanity, Sexual Situations, Gore]

Summary: A lonely stretch of highway leads to a date with terror in this thriller. Jim Halsey (Zachary Knighton) and Grace Andrews (Sophia Bush) are a young couple in the midst of a long-distance road trip when, during a rainstorm, they take pity on a hitchhiker, John Ryder) (Sean Bean), and give him a lift. Jim and Grace soon come to regret their benevolence when Ryder reveals himself as a violent madman determined to see them dead. Luck is with Jim and Grace, and they're able to throw off Ryder and get back on the road, but as it happens their troubles are just beginning. Ryder has already killed a handful of people and is planting evidence that suggests Jim and Grace are the murderers; now the couple is on the run from the law as they search for Ryder in a bid to clears their names. The Hitcher is a remake of the 1986 cult horror classic of the same name; the new version was produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller, who previously produced remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Thriller

Features: Over 20 minutes of deleted scenes, including End of the Road and alternate ending too terrigying for theaters!
Road Kill - The ultimate car crash: Behind the scenes of the amazing, hard-hitting car stunts
Fuel Your Fear: the making of The Hitcher
And more!

Hitcher

Format: DVD

Release Date: 05/01/2007

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 84 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,Spanish,French

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- The Hitcher
1. Time to Go (Main Titles) [4:54]
2. Never Pick Up Strangers [3:17]
3. Nice to Meet You [4:31]
4. A Free Ride [6:06]
5. Hell of a Story [3:28]
6. Next Victims [3:03]
7. Hit & Run [4:49]
8. Under Arrest [4:05]
9. Trying to Help [5:46]
10. Third Suspect [3:39]
11. No Way Out [4:34]
12. Armed & Dangerous [6:11]
13. Call for Help [3:31]
14. Making Me Horny [2:11]
15. "I Want to Die" [4:57]
16. Maybe Next Time [1:39]
17. Done Running [3:40]
18. Need Backup [3:36]
19. Dead End [2:36]
20. End Titles [1:27]

Derek Armstrong

By definition, remakes have a tough act to follow. To even get to the point of a side-by-side comparison, they have to overcome the purists' outrage that they exist in the first place. The original Hitcher (1986), however, wasn't the typical candidate to be remade -- it had a chilling concept, but flawed execution. Dave Meyers' 2007 update plugs those narrative gaps quite effectively. It raises the emotional stakes by involving both protagonists from the start, providing each a necessary sounding board for what's happening to them. This version also approaches the action more gradually, and portrays the decision to pick up the hitchhiker as a moral quandary, rather than an impulsive whim. As a result, the story's most unforgettable scene is even more of a gut punch. While it's hard to improve on Rutger Hauer, the very personification of menace, as the villain, Sean Bean may in fact surpass him in one sense: he has two sides of his coin, one of which is charming enough to win the initial trust of his victims. In some ways, this Hitcher doesn't have the grit of the original, as Meyers shoots in a slick, MTV-ready style, with leads who could both be models (Zachary Knighton and Sophia Bush). However, the passage of 20 years has also relaxed the gore standards, giving the violence a more visceral immediacy. Under the influence of producer Michael Bay, the chase sequences carry an exciting grandeur, particularly the set piece in which Bean systematically dispatches a posse of police cruisers to the tune of Nine Inch Nails' "Closer." Sure, some B-movie elements remain, and critics latched onto them in returning a generally unfavorable verdict. But at its best moments, The Hitcher is up there with Jonathan Mostow's Breakdown in terms of spiraling disaster on the lonely highways. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Eric Bernt  Screenwriter 
Brad Fuller  Producer 
Eric Red  Screenwriter 
Charles Meeker  Producer 
Michael Bay  Producer 
Andrew Form  Producer 
Dave Meyers  Director 
Steve Jablonsky  Composer (Music Score) 
Alfred Haber  Producer 
Jake Wade Wall  Screenwriter 
Brad Uller  Producer 
Sean Bean  Actor 
Sophia Bush  Actor 
Zachary Knighton  Actor 
Neal McDonough  Actor 
Kyle Davis  Actor 
Skip O'Brien  Actor 
Travis Schuldt  Actor 
Danny Bolero  Actor 
Jeff Hutchinson  Actor 
Yara Martinez  Actor 
Lauren Cohn  Actor 
Mike Fisher  Actor 
Joseph Michael Self  Actor 
Brad Robinson  Actor 
Kurt Grossi  Actor 
Kurt Bryant  Actor 
Richard Hancock  Actor 
Jesse De Luna  Actor 
George McLain  Actor 
Kurt E. Soderling  Actor 
Lance Strumpf  Actor 
Damon Carney  Actor 

Country: USA