The Hitch-Hiker (1953) co-written and directed by Ida Lupino
This harrowing film noir based on actual events follows two friends (Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy) who are driving to Mexico for a fishing weekend. They pick up a hitch-hiker, Emmett Meyers (William Talman), who has been on a nation-wide crime spree. He kidnaps those he picks up, eventually killing them for their money. Meyers wants them to drive him to a certain town, though he plays some games with them on the way. The friends are caught in the moral quandary of trying to protect each other while also coming up with a way out that isn't what Meyers is planning.
This tightly-paced film (clocking in at only 71 minutes) keeps the tension high. Talman does a great job as the menacing and intelligent Meyers. He clearly has a lot of practice manipulating whoever he has kidnapped. The larger manhunt is shown through the police investigation and radio news, just enough to know how close the law is to getting them. Meyers also knows how close, which puts pressure on him, subsequently putting pressure on the friends as well. The Mexican countryside is expansive and bleak, leaving little hope to the friends and the viewers. It's an exciting story that goes quickly but stays with you.
Highly recommended.
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