I love this movie so much

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

At the risk of sound sexist you would never guess that "The Hitch-Hiker" was directed by anyone other than the toughest of hombres. In fact, this male-dominated thriller about a hitch-hiking psychopath, (William Talman), who takes two fishermen hostage, (Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy), was directed by none other than Ida Lupino but then Lupino was no ordinary 'woman director'. At a time when the industry, particularly in Hollywood, was dominated by men Lupino fought the powers that be in order to make the kind of films she wanted. "The Hitch-Hiker" was very much a personal project made on the slimmest of budgets. She and producer Collier Young wrote the film and she shot it entirely on location in California, (standing in for Mexico), and it tells its suspenseful story in just 71 minutes. The premiss is simplicity itself and Lupino uses the desert locations superbly to build tension. If at times Talman's madman seems a little over the top the underplaying of both O'Brien and Lovejoy nicely balances things out. A small classic.

...THE HITCH-HIKER is the original, '50s-made hitchhiking nightmare film. It's a straightforward three-hander in which a couple of buddies (Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy) are accosted by a manic serial killer (William Talman), who forces them to drive him to Mexico in order for him to escape the authorities.This is a low budget, black and white suspense thriller that has more tension in it than a dozen recent movies. The low budget works in its favour, with tight camera angles making for a claustrophobic viewing experience. Actress Ida Lupino certainly knows what she's doing behind the camera as she rarely puts a foot wrong here: the pacing is exact and the performances are excellent.While O'Brien and Lovejoy ground the movie playing the two protagonists, but in reality this is Talman's turn. He gives a pitch perfect turn as the creepy villain, one that would pave the way for later screen psychos like Robert Mitchum's character in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. Talman's acting is the stuff of brilliance, and he alone makes the film worth watching. The rest of it is the icing on the cake.

Two friends on a fishing trip (Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy) pick up a hitchhiker (William Talman). That turns out to be a huge mistake as this guy is a psycho who's left a trail of bodies behind him. Now he holds the two men hostage at gunpoint and forces them to drive into Mexico.Based on real-life hitchhiking killer Billy Cook, this is an excellent film noir thriller directed and co-written by Ida Lupino. It might be the best movie she directed, although I'm partial to On Dangerous Ground. Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy are both fine but Lovejoy gets a little more to work with. Which is funny since O'Brien was the bigger star of the two. William Talman, best known as the district attorney who always lost to Perry Mason, is great here. There's a creepiness to his performance that separates the character from just another thug with a gun that was commonplace in movies, even in 1953. It's a taut thriller with fine performances and excellent direction. Short runtime is a plus. Years of more graphic movies with similar plots may dilute the impact of this some but I think it's still a strong film.

Don't let that Awkwardly Written Opening from the Producers Dissuade You.The Only Women in this Film are Peripheral, but it was Directed by a Woman, Ida Lupino. Known as a Very Good, Edgy Actress that Played Smart, Tough, Good-Lookers, and Capable of Anything a Man could do. So Moving into the Director's Chair was Never a Stretch and in Character for this Groundbreaking Female.The Movie is Relentlessly Suspenseful to a Fault. Although it is Based on a True Maniacal Killer who Murdered Men, Women, Children, and Dogs, You can't Stop the Feeling that Somehow, Somewhere, Two Able Bodied Men could have Overcome Their Captor and Tormentor. So that Frustration becomes Increasingly Troublesome as the Film is Forever Showing the Killer Berating, Teasing, and Shoving Them around.It is Undeniably an Unnerving Story that is Carried by William Talman ("My Parents were tough, they took one look at me and told me to get lost.")as the Killer and some Stark, Sharp, and Sprawling Cinematography. Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy are the Innocents.After a Killer Opening of Sleazy Nighttime Neon in Mexico and some Exploits of the Villain, the Movie does become more Conventionally Staged.The Ending is Quite Sudden and May be a Disappointment to some that Expect more Exploitation or Action, but it is in Keeping with the Subtlety of Tone in the Movie. Overall, Slightly Overrated, but a Gripping Thriller Throughout.Note...Beware Public Domain Copies that are mostly awful and diminish drastically the style and enjoyment of this well-crafted Film-Noir.