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The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

★★★ — The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

The Hitch-Hiker holds a genuine footnote in cinema history as the first film noir directed by a woman, with Ida Lupino (better known at the time as an actress) producing and directing through her independent production company, The Filmakers, which she co-founded with then-husband Collier Young. Lupino had already made a name for herself behind the camera with socially-minded low-budget pictures like Outrage (1950) and Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951), but this was a sharper, more commercial proposition, based loosely on the real-life crimes of spree killer Billy Cook. Released through RKO, it sits comfortably in the early-1950s cycle of lean, location-shot noirs that traded expensive studio gloss for a grittier, almost documentary feel.

Short n sweet. They throw you straight into the action, which I like and the story is great to grasp. Are 70ish minutes it's barely a feature but any longer than that and if would have just felt gratuitous. Soundtrack, story and acting all pretty good.

Rating: ★★★ | Year: 1953 | Watched: 2025-05-17

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Where to watch (UK)

Stream: Amazon Prime Video · Cultpix · Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Rent: Amazon Video
Buy: Amazon Video
Physical: Amazon UK

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