In the twenty years since The Hitcher was released it's managed to garner quite the cult following. So much, in fact, that Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes company decided to add it to the list of horror films they've been remaking in the past few years - the others being Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror. As a more obscure title (to the late teens audience this is targeted at, anyway), The Hitcher is a movie you wouldn't expect to be redone. Eric Red's original script was a basic "cat 'n' mouse" story that took more than a few cues from Stephen Spielberg's 1971 classic, Duel. But the most surprising thing, to me anyway, is that when I walked out of this 2007 redo I actually left the theatre having been entertained by it.

Heading out on a road trip for summer break from College, young couple Jim Halsey (Zachary Knighton) and Grace Andrews (Sophia Bush) are looking forward to a fun loving and relaxed time. But all that's soon to change.

During a rainstorm they almost manage to hit a hitchhiker who's standing along the side of the road trying to get a ride after his car has broken down. After overreacting to the situation, Jim and Grace flee the scene and end-up at a local gas station. That's when John Ryder (Sean Bean) shows-up.

John is the guy they almost hit and they agree to give him a ride to a nearby hotel to apologize for almost running him over. This proves to be the biggest mistake of their trip as John soon proves to be quite the psycho when he tries to take them hostage and threatens to use his switchblade on Grace. They manage to kick him out of the car, but the fun isn't over yet.

From there The Hitcher becomes not much more than a quickly paced chase movie as Ryder proceeds to chase them down looking not only for revenge, but to try and frame them for multiple murders and mess with their heads.

As remakes go, this doesn't stray too far from the original. In fact, it treads so closely that Red gets co-credit for the script. While a few minor details have changed and there's a few new sequences, if you've seen the original there'll probably be not much new here for you. It's a pretty straightforward story that manages to stay enjoyable despite the huge logic lapses throughout and a finale that's almost too over-the-top and stupid. And while director Dave Meyers (a music video veteran making his debut) goes for the cheap "jump" scare a few too many times he doesn't overdo things and pack in unnecessary flashy visuals like most of his ilk tend to and for that I commend him. On top of that, Bean makes a fine replacement for Rutger Hauer's original Ryder and while he can't top Hauer he gives the role enough menace for it to work.

Suffice it to say, if you have any sort of attachment to the original (which I really don't) then you'll probably find this to be yet another pointless remake. But if you're just looking to kill 83 minutes of time and be entertained while you're at it, this should fit the bill quite well. It's done well enough, moves briskly enough and actually makes you want to go back and watch the 1986 film to compare the two. I might be in the minority here, but I liked The Hitcher just fine. (Chris Hartley, 1/29/07)

Directed By: Dave Meyers.
Written By: Eric Red, Jake Wade Wall, Eric Bernt.

Starring: Sean Bean, Sophia Bush, Zachary Knighton, Neal McDonough.