Amazon.co.uk Review
Jake Busey steps into Rutger Hauer's cowboy boots to remind viewers about the dangers of picking up hitchhikers in this sequel to the 1986 thriller. Though suggested, it's unclear whether Busey's black-clad hitcher is actually supposed to be Hauer, who blackmailed teen driver Jim (C. Thomas Howell) for a series of killing 17 years earlier, but he makes life miserable all the same for the grown Jim (Howell again), now an trauma-plagued cop, and his girlfriend (Kari Wuhrer) as they drive through Texas (played here by Canada, and well photographed by George Mooradian). But where the original
Hitcher was a taut exercise in suspense, executive producer Charles Meeker's script is simply a retread of its predecessor's highlights, including the infamous "drawn and quartered" scene, and gives the three leads little to do. Busey tries hard, but lacks Hauer's formidable presence, which may disappoint fans of the original; undemanding frightfest aficionados might enjoy this best. --
Paul Gaita
Synopsis
In this sequel to
The Hitcher, C. Thomas Howell reprises his role as Jim, the young man terrorized by Rutger Hauer's hitchhiker in the original.
The Hitcher 2 takes place years later, with Jim still haunted by his memories of the experience. When he and his girlfriend Maggie (Wuhrer) decide to take a road trip, Jim's worst nightmares come true again after they pick up another hitchhiker (Busey) who turns out to be a psychopath.