The Hitch-hiker1953

Very suspenseful. The bad guy wasvery bad and the good guys were non-violent except at the end. The Mexican policias were very efficient and professional though in one scene they forgot to erase the "DF" (distrito federal)from the police car which would put them in the middle of Mexico city instead of the desert where they were supposed to be. But I cared how the bad guy would be caught and sympathized with the two victim though it was hard to believe that the two kidnappees would not try to escape.

Exciting 50's thriller. Great all the way through. Really enjoyed this flick.

First ever film noir directed by a woman. Ida Lupino was an incredibly prolific and ground breaking actress and director.

If that isn't reason enough to watch, consider the masterful suspense and dialogue. Hitchcock certainly wasn't the only game in town.

One of the best-ever noir films of the early 50's.And directed by Ida Lupino,a pioneer in women directors. William Talman does a splendid job of being sinister and deranged. O'Brien and Lovejoy match him frame to frame. However,I think this was Talman's film,and he shone,under Lupino's direction. Don't skip this one!! If you only know of Talman's work as Hamilton Burger on the Perry Mason show,you will be very surprised at how sinister he is here.Very enjoyable!!

I liked it. NOt a rave but an interesting throwback. Interesting that Ida Lupino directed and made men as psychologically interesting, weak, and calculating as women are often depicted.

fantastic. amazing direction. i could almost SMELL things happening. totally gripping.

Gritty with a great villain. Directed by a woman in the 50s. Go, Ida!

It's strange to think that Ida Lupino got her start as a director reluctantly. This solid thriller shows off a director made for the job. Her eye is still contemporary sixty years later. Two guys on a fishing trip pick up a hitchhiker who happens to be a fugitive who's killing his way across the American southwest—and that's IT. Most of this 70-minute wonder is little more than two guys held at gunpoint. What most impresses here is Lupino's confidence with storytelling via raw imagery. Leads Edmund O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy get few chances to talk to each other and come up with a plan. Their communication relies on looks and gestures, all of which Lupino keenly observes. Then there are the bold scenes in Mexico where the dialogue is 100% untranslated Spanish, no subtitles, no gringos around to spell out things for the non-espanol inclined, no nothing except for body language and all the right details. Along for the ride is quintessential noir cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, bearing a bucket of shadows.

This was part of a nationwide propaganda campaign against hitch-hiking. The powers that be were annoyed that folks were getting away without buying cars. There are still many laws against hitch-hiking, and in California, BART shuts down at midnight, so most people going to S.F. for its nighttime entertainment need to have a car.

"Mobility without Mayhem: Safety, Cars, and Citizenship" by Jeremy Packer, speaks extensively about the FBI campaign against hitch-hiking, and this film in particular.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/opinion/sunday/hitchhikings-time-has-come-again.html?_r=0

Decent old crime flick. Worth watching.

A bit long but otherwise interesting example of film noir.

Exciting post WWII action adventure of the time. We were sitting on the edge of our seats. The good guys won in the end.

Great cast and great director. Still enjoyable at 50 plus years.

A BLACK AND WHITE MELODRAMATIC CLASSIC THAT WORKS EXCITING MOST OF THE TIME WITH ALL ACTORS AND ACTRESSES PORTRAYING THIR ROLES WELL IT IS AN ENJOYABLE FILM TO WATCH!

Good for tension and good performances. Bit of a plot hole (why *does* he need those guys, anyway??) but enjoyable if you can get beyond that.

Acting is a bit lame but a decent watch...

certainly suspenseful in the mode of the time..moody photography and composition..ambitious for Ida Lupino who aspired to be surpass her male colleagues..ultimately predicatble..

Also, it is never clear in these movies how two people can't outwit a tired and tense outlaw..I mean, how come he never sleeps or, even more absurdly, how come he sleeps with a gun steady in his hand?

At least two of the actors went on to major roles in other movies. That nasty fellow who later played Hamilton Burger on "Perry Mason" was the bad guy.

No nonsense film noir set in the Mexican desert. Director and partial writer Ida Lupino delivers the goods very well in this surprisingly manly script that excludes the usual femme fatale.

A good film noire-ish movie, although it doesn't have the typical femme fatale or subtle performances I often prefer. Not to in anyway diminish the acting or plot, as both were good, especially for the time. I found the alternating scenes between the confines of the car and the open desert especially effective.

SEMI-SPOILER

However, SPOILER, the ending is somewhat anticlimactic and quite easy to guess minutes before. Were it more suspenseful, I would have rated this film another star higher.

It is just so GOOD! says Your Brno in Love!

Facial expressions excellent, they make the film.

Well done.

Excellent.

A real 50's thriller in the classic sense,...typical of the genre.

Great story, poor quality copy.