Ida Lupino‘s 1953 true crime noir, The Hitch-Hiker, sees Collins (Edmond O’Brien) and Gilbert (Frank Lovejoy) by chance decide up Emmet Myers (William Talman), a violent assassin and escaped convict. The movie facilities round whether or not or not the pair will be capable to escape Myers earlier than he kills them. The Hitch-Hiker is a nice watch for anybody wishing to review character writing and the best way to maximize each side of storytelling. Not many movies could possibly be made with a small finances and basically simply three characters and maintain such a tense and participating narrative. Lupino’s affect on this movie is felt all through the narrative and filmmaking, in her choice of characters and how she makes use of them. Not solely is the directing and cinematography a triumph, however all three actors, O’Brien, Lovejoy, and Talman, give unbelievable performances, guaranteeing The Hitch-Hiker is effectively deserving of its 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ida Lupino Excels at Exploring the Noir Genre Through True Crime

Ida Lupino weaves a tense story that pulls from the real-world inspiration of Billy Cook, who murdered six individuals and kidnapped three others in 1950, who he took on “murderous road trips”. The opening of The Hitch-Hiker is a shot of a man, who we by no means see however assume is Myers, ready to hitchhike, together with textual content that explains that this might occur to anybody. It’s a bone-chilling and chilly reminder that sticks with the viewers all through the movie. Lupino makes use of Myers to intensify the gritty, noir points of the movie, exploring the soul of a man with no morals.

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As the primary U.S. basic noir movie directed by a girl, Lupino takes a distinctive method to exploring the male-dominated style. Collins and Gilbert are each ex-army, with Gilbert being an skilled marksman, however neither are nice heroes nor badasses. Rather than seeing them pounce on Myers in his sleep, they attempt to run off. Watching their compliance and rising desperation is a way more fascinating exploration of the need to outlive that exists inside all of us slightly than the unnatural will to threat your life preventing a battle towards the chances. Similarly, Myers’ anti-climactic ending goes towards the basic noir ending of our heroes having a huge confrontation with the villain, like in The Third Man, which got here out 4 years prior.

In the novel The Making of The Hitch-Hiker, Lupino defined that she needed a sense of “realism” within the seize of Myers, the place police merely discover and arrest Myers on the finish of the road, which is how Cook was captured. The second of Myers’ arrest could possibly be seen as anti-climactic, however Myers’ helplessness as he’s held by police, and his incapability to defend himself when he’s attacked by Collins, exhibits the lack of the facility that he held all through the movie. We see that ultimately, a individual’s morally condemnable actions will meet up with them.

‘The Hitch-Hiker’ Is Shot Incredibly For Its Time

Despite this being filmed in 1953 and produced independently, The Hitch-Hiker appears unbelievable. Famous cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca shot the film, highlighting the distinction of the shadows towards the desert, turning it into much more of a hellish, inescapable wasteland than it already is. Shot principally with the three males in a automobile, the digicam’s motion at one level from exterior the automobile to inside, revealing Myers within the shadows. It is a nice little bit of digicam movement, because it positions Myers like a monster within the shadows, making him a terrifying villain from the start.

The rear projection used all through holds as much as this present day, and offering a sense of movement that’s continuously constructing pressure as we see our heroes transferring nearer to their finish vacation spot, and doubtlessly their closing one. Having this type of movement combined with the claustrophobia of Collins and Gilbert being trapped within the automobile with Myers is an efficient use of all of the instruments at a director’s disposal. The Hitch-Hiker just isn’t with out errors, as at totally different factors, throughout exterior pictures, you possibly can clearly see solely two males within the automobile, slightly than the three there must be. However, these could be forgiven contemplating the movie’s apparent limitations in finances and expertise.

William Talman and Edmond O’Brien Deliver Standout Performances In ‘The Hitch-Hiker’

Great writing and directing aren’t sufficient to maintain a 70-minute narrative with simply three characters, nevertheless. The charisma, chemistry, and performances of the actors could make or break the movie, and in The Hitch-Hiker, Lovejoy, O’Brien, and Talman make each single line, motion, and response rely. However, while Lovejoy’s Gilbert is nice as the typical one that sticks up for his good friend, it’s Edmond O’Brien as Collins and William Talman as Emmet Myers that significantly stand out, as they’re polar opposites that distinction with one another so effectively. Despite virtually zero backstory on this movie, Collins feels gentler than Gilbert, partly on account of not being the marksman and the very fact Myers picks him because the sufferer to bully.

As we watch Collins grow to be extra and extra determined, Myers’ sick and twisted enjoyment turns into higher, with the glint in his eye rising as Collins’ terror-filled scowl deepens. After Collins has a breakdown, Myers takes nice pleasure in telling Gilbert to depart him alone, quipping, “Can’t you see he’s praying?” These opposites of brutality and vulnerability make Myers’ seize on the finish a lot extra rewarding. Talman’s menacing and cool demeanor when Myers acts as if he have been on a street journey with a few buddies is terrifying and his violent outlook on the world makes you worry for all of the characters he interacts with. This cements him as among the best noir villains of all time.

Overall, The Hitch-Hiker is a nice and distinctive noir thriller. Ida Lupino’s reasonable and distinctive method exposes the fragility of Myers’ energy and explores the survival instincts inside humanity, offering a fascinating execution of the basic noir style. The Hitch-Hiker is made stronger by all of its distinctive elements coming collectively to make it nice, with all three of the important thing actors giving 110% to the roles and making the noir thriller a must-watch movie for anybody who loves cinema.

During a seemingly abnormal fishing journey, two mates discover themselves in a perilous scenario after choosing up a hitchhiker who’s a needed prison. As their journey turns into more and more harmful, they need to devise a plan to flee the relentless risk posed by their risky passenger.

Release Date

March 30, 1953

Director

Ida Lupino

Cast

Edmond O’Brien , Frank Lovejoy , William Talman , José Torvay , Sam Hayes , Wendell Niles , Jean Del Val , Clark Howat , Natividad Vacío , Larry Hudson , Collier Young , Gordon Barnes , Rodney Bell , Orlando Beltran , Wade Crosby , June Dinneen , Joe Dominguez , Henry A. Escalante , Al Ferrara , Taylor Flaniken , Nacho Galindo , Martin Garralaga , Ed Hinton , Jerry Lawrence , George Navarro , Kathy Riggins , Tony Roux , Felipe Turich , Rosa Turich

Runtime

71 Minutes

Writers

Ida Lupino , Robert L. Joseph , Collier Young , Daniel Mainwaring

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The Hitch-Hiker is at present out there to stream on Prime Video within the U.S.

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