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THE HITCHER II: I'VE BEEN WAITING (2003) Director: Louis Morneau. Hacktors: C. Thomas Howell, Kari Wuhrer, Jake Busey. Rating: Cutting Remarks: I'm a sucker for sequels, even if they're not strictly necessary. This one certainly falls into that category - especially as Rutger Hauer doesn't reprise his performance in the 1986 cult classic original. At least Howell returns as Jim Halsey, the man who faced Hauer's enigmatic Hitcher, all those years ago. Now an overly trigger-happy cop, Halsey is still plagued by flashbacks from the first movie - noticeably all without Hauer's face. He decides on a trip to Texas with his girlfriend (Wuhrer) to seek therapy from Captain Esteridge, a man who helped him sort out his head before. Naturally, a seemingly reincarnated Hitcher is lying in wait with one thumb in the air.       Halfway through, the script decides to do something drastic that's either brave or stupid - I'm still undecided as to the answer. Unfortunately, that drastic something isn't handled very well. Apart from that, all of the original's boxes are slavishly ticked: our heroes are framed for various cop killings, there's a gag involving a severed finger and we also face the return of the split-in-two-by-a-truck demise. Busey makes a good psycho, just like his dad, but he's no Hauer and at times the film descends into standard road-movie-psycho territory. The gore is similarly restrained to the original's, restricted mostly to (bloody) gun wounds. It's your typical inferior sequel, but not without merit. Pick it up (ahem) if you're bored, and/or are a massive Hitcher nut. DVD Extras: Nothing. Unless you count Chapter Selection. Which you don't. Having said that, this one has a lively Dolby 5.1 mix which makes you jump on a number of occasions. Release Date: Out now. [Check it out at Amazon US] [Check it out at Amazon UK] [Reviews Menu] [Home] © Copyright Slasherama 2002-present