Hitch-Hike

An Italian couple Walter (Franco Nero) and his wife Eve (Corrine Clery) are holidaying in America. With Walter training the sights of his hunting rifle on Eve before a line of dialogue is uttered, it's clear their relationship is on the rocks. And then he opens his mouth:

You know what? I had your head a little while ago in my gun sight. For at least half a minute… I saw the stag and I said to myself 'I wonder if Eve's sweet meat roast on the spit is better than the stag's or not.' Who knows? But I'm sure the stag doesn't fuck like you do… No one fucks like my little Eve… That's the only reason you're not in his place…

Arriving back at the camp site, Walter continues to drink and belittle his wife, who proves she can give as good as she gets: "You're wrong, darling. They're making love. We just screw."

Leaving the camp site the next morning and en route to Los Angeles, the Mancini's pay scant attention to a radio report about a bank robbery. Rounding a corner, they see a hitch-hiker. Walter is all for ignoring the man, but Eve, driving the car, stops to pick the man up.

The hitcher, Adam Konitz (David Hess), claims to be a grad student, but is in reality one of the bank robbers. He soon becomes a participant in Walter and Eve's verbal sparring, then goes to far in asking Eve "How'd you like to suck my cock" Walter, reacting to Konitz's challenge to his masculinity as much as any offence to Eve, elbow smashes Konitz in the face and throws him out of the car. The two men fight and Konitz pulls a pistol, finally revealing what we've known all along – that he's one of the bank robbers who pulled a two million dollar heist. "Okay Mancini, or whatever your fucking name is, the game's over"

Continuing on their way, the trio come are flagged down by a couple of motorcycle police. Walter tries to alert them to Konitz, but he notices the ruse and shoots the two cops…

The director of Hitch Hike AKA Autostop Rosso Sangue, Pasquale Festa Campanile, was better known as a writer and, when it came to films, as a comedy specialist. However, you would never know this from the film. The mise-en-scene, centring around the car and its environs, is confident and the handling of suspense and action examplary.

But even the best director in the world could do little with Hitch-Hike's set up if the central performances weren't right. Happily they are. Nero, Clery and Hess play their parts with assurance and commitment and meet the challenges confronting them – for Nero to present an ineffectual, frustrated masculinity; for Clery and Hess to handle some potentially awkward scenes of sexual violence – head on.

Ennio Morricone's quirky score provides the icing on the cake. A lost classic indeed.

Anchor Bay's Region 1 DVD of Hitch-Hike presents the film in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, enhanced for 16:9 televisions. The is clean, sharp and more than adequate. While the sound mix is less impressive, there's nothing to get in the way of one's enjoyment.

Extras wise, we get the original theatrical trailer and an all-new 17 minute documentary by Blue Underground, The Devil Thumbs a Ride. Comprised of all-new interviews with the three stars, it's one of the more informative short documentaries out there. Nero, Clery and Hess each remember the film with affection and insight. We learn that it was shot around L'Aquila in Italy, rather than in the US as one could easily believe. Franco's hand injury, meanwhile, was a last-minute addition to the script after he broke his wrist on the shooting of Keoma. It's not a Django nod, as one might initially (over)interpret it.

Anchor Bay are to be congratulated for bringing another obscure classic to light.

Imagine Cul De Sac on wheels and you're not too far off the mark.