Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Hitcher 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Thumbs up.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 17, 2024

Released only a few weeks after the UK boutique label Second Sight's long-awaited Limited Edition 4K/Blu-ray combo pack (which was also split into standard 4K and Region-free Blu-ray editions), Warner Bros. has surprised fans of Robert Harmon's 1986 thriller The Hitcher with their own domestic 4K and Blu-ray releases. In a somewhat unlikely stroke of good luck, these separate US releases appear to utilize the exact same source elements as Second Sight's discs, which includes a striking new 4K restoration overseen by Harmon and a pair of lossless audio options. Even a few of Second Sight's newly-created retrospective bonus features are on board. That's great news for anyone who doesn't want to pay import prices or isn't interested in extra extras, but either way this 4K restoration is a huge leap beyond the film's last domestic home video edition: an early anamorphic DVD released all the way back in 1999.

For a synopsis and appreciation of The Hitcher (which was released to very mixed reviews in 1986, including a rare double-zero judgement from Siskel and Ebert), please see Svet Atanasov's recent review of Second Sight's Limited Edition combo pack linked above. I agree that this cult classic has a lot of appeal even beyond its sinister atmosphere and the menacing performance from Rutger Hauer, as the film's staunch reluctance to fill in the blanks of either of its main characters unquestionably works in its favor. Surreal and almost supernatural, The Hitcher is a well-made and largely misunderstood thriller that still carries a lot of power almost 40 years after its theatrical release.

The Hitcher 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: This review's screenshots are sourced from the 4K disc and downsampled to 1080p/SDR, which means that for multiple reasons they should not be considered an accurate representation of their on-screen appearance.

I was prepared to write a much longer critique of Warner Bros.' 2160p/HDR10 (Dolby Vision capable) transfer of The Hitcher before viewing it, as I was all but certain that different source elements, additional post-processing, or uneven disc encoding would put this 4K disc somewhere below Second Sight's Limited Edition 4K/Blu-ray combo pack. To my absolute surprise, WB's 4K presentation appears to exactly duplicate that release's video quality... although without the Second Sight 4K release in-hand for direct comparison, it's impossible to be 100% certain. What I can tell you is that based on my recent reviews of Second Sight's typically very well-regarded 4K releases such as Dawn of the Dead, It Follows, and Green Room, the overwhelming majority of WB's transfer has an extremely similar base-level appearance to those releases with authentic levels of film grain, slightly higher gamma levels, and a strongly organic look overall. In other words, it absolutely looks like a Second Sight job and has an extremely high bit rate to match, as this triple-layered disc regularly hovers in the 90Mbps range and occasionally jumps well into triple-digit territory. Similar to WB's recent wave of triple-layered 4K catalog titles including Focus and Game Night, this pressed MOD release exceeds the video quality and encoding of the studio's "normal" UHD output by a solid and noticeable margin.

While that above-linked review might normally bolster my opinion of this transfer, I also must address the potential color timing issue that seemed to be the primary reason why Second Sight's 4K and Blu-ray editions scored less-than-perfect marks. I'll keep it brief: this release is almost certainly a direct port of that disc, I was not at all bothered by the film's color palette -- at least on the 4K edition, but more on that in a future review -- and, if Second Sight's transfer looks the same as this one (which it most likely does), I certainly would have awarded it the same 5/5 rating as this disc. To the absolute best of my knowledge, one of these releases should not look better than the other.

The Hitcher 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, this release includes the same pair of audio options as Second Sight's disc; namely; a Dolby Atmos remix and the original DTS-HD 2.0 presentation as heard in theaters. See the linked review for more details.

The Hitcher 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with poster-themed artwork; a rarity indeed for WB releases, but I'll gladly take it. As mentioned earlier, three bonus features from Second Sight's Limited Edition 4K/Blu-ray combo pack have surprisingly been ported over, which are listed on the packaging but not the press release. Of course, you'll be missing out on a lot of other great extras... but for those who just want the basics, these get the job done.

• Audio Commentary - Featuring director Robert Harmon and screenwriter Eric Red.

• Bullseye (41:29) - A very candid and enjoyable retrospective interview with Harmon.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:28)

The Hitcher 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Robert Harmon's The Hitcher remains a compelling thriller almost 40 years after its theatrical release, where it was greeted with mixed reviews including a rare "double-zero" from two of that era's most prominent critics. To say it's misunderstood would be an understatement, but either way this well-acted and thoughtfully constructed debut film is well worth seeking out and there are more ways than ever to do that. Those who want the absolute best of everything should import Second Sight's Limited Edition 4K/Blu-ray combo pack, while their cheaper standard 4K edition has the same on-disc content with no packaging goodies. But here comes a new challenger: WB's new domestic 4K edition surprisingly makes a case for itself by carrying over a potentially identical A/V presentation and a few ported-over extras for an even more affordable price. Any way you slice it, it's time to retire those 25 year-old DVDs.