Review of the 2007 Remake, The Hitcher (2007)

Grace Andrews (Sophia Bush) and Jim Halsey (Zachary Knighton) are on spring break and decide to stay with their friends. They are traveling there in Jim's 1970 Oldsmobile 442. While driving at night in the rain, they swerve out of the way to avoid hitting a man (Sean Bean) in the middle of the road beside a stranded car and, at Grace's admonishment, they don't stop to talk to him or pick him up. They continue on to a gas station for food, gas and to have the gas station attendant call someone to go back and bring a tow for the man they almost hit. Oddly, a tractor trailer pulls up at the gas station and drops off the man Jim almost hit. Jim apologizes to him and the man introduces himself as John Ryder and asks for a ride to which Jim, feeling guilty for what happened earlier and Grace being in the bathroom, quickly agrees. After a short while into the ride, Ryder starts asking Jim lurid, vulgar questions about Grace and suddenly breaks Jim's cell phone and puts a knife to Grace's face. In order to save Grace and himself, Jim speeds up then slams on the braes so Ryder's head is flung into the windshield and Jim kicks him out the door. They speed away but Grace's working cell phone lands besides Ryder. Jim and Grace's troubles with Ryder are not over and, in fact, they've just begun!

This is a remake of the 1986 movie of the same name and starring Rutger Hauer (Ryder), C. Thomas Howell (Jim) and Jennifer Jason Leigh (Nash - Grace in this remake). I won't compare it too much with the original other than to say that this is basically a shot-for-shot remake of the original, making it almost unnecessary to produce. Sean Bean does a good replacement in Rutger Hauer's role as John Ryber and Zachary Knighton & Sophia Bush do okay in C. Thomas Howell & Jennifer Jason Leigh's roles. There are no real differences between this and the original, other than the actors and a few pointless changes, mostly the ending.