Universal | Review by Dan Taylor
Robert
Harmon's THE HITCHER was a surprise smash
hit back in 1986, creeping everybody out
with its sinister tale of a hitchhiker (Rutger
Hauer) who terrorizes and torments a teenager
(C Thomas Howell) transporting a car across
country. Failing to capitalize on the success
of that flick and his starring role in the
comedy SOUL MAN, Howell spent the better
part of the last 17 years starring in straight-to-video
clunkers with the occasional howler thrown
in for good measure (can anybody say SIDE
OUT?).
Which makes it a shock that
it took 'em this long to make a sequel to
one of Howell's best known and most popular
flicks. The story picks up years after the
original, with Jim Halsey (Howell) relieved
of his duties as a cop (!) because a run-in
with a kidnapper got "a little messy."
In need of some R&R, Halsey and galpal
Maggie (Kari Wuhrer) decide to take a road
trip down to see Captain Esteridge (Stephen
Hair replacing Jeffrey DeMunn), the cop
from the original.
When they stop along the side
of the road and pick up Jack (Jake Busey),
Halsey starts to flashback to his run-in
with John Ryder (Hauer) and project sinister
impulses on the creepy (but seemingly benign)
hitchhiker. And it's at this point that
HITCHER 2 makes its tragic mistake. Rather
than turn the tale 180 degrees and set up
Halsey as the crazy, they try and make the
same movie all over again. Except that they
blow it by making it a Kari Wuhrer flick
and leave me feeling cheated.
Frankly, if I wanted to rent
a Kari Wuhrer movie, I would do so. Something
like HELLRAISER: DEADER. I thought I was
renting a flick starring the man that made
SIDE OUT the greatest redemption parable
told through the sport of beach volleyball
ever made. What I got was an hour of cat-and-mouse
games between a chick I wasn't crazy about
when she guested on 'Beverly Hills 90210'
and a guy channeling Rutger Hauer and Gary
Busey.
For C Thomas Howell completists
only, and if there are any of you out there...
please, get some help.
