The Hitch-Hiker (1953) is a film noir based on real life events and the first directed by a woman-Ida Lupino. Lupino was known mainly as an actress in several noir films such as They Drive By Night. However, it seems that she became a producer and director in order to make more serious films that dealt with serious social messages. In this noir two fishermen, Roy (Edmon O'Brien) and Frank (Gilbert Bowen) pick up a hitchhiker, Emmet Meyers (William Tallman) who forces them at gunpoint to take him to Mexico since he has killed several people on a robbery spree and wants to evade the police. A huge manhunt ensues but along the way he engages in some sadistic games. The Mexican countryside provides the backdrop for this small ensemble piece. Lupino has made an effective, entertaining no frills noir in her debut.
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