Overview: Down on his luck, Charles Duprey (William Forsythe, The Devil’s Rejects) takes to the road to forget his troubles. Little does he know that they’ve only just begun when he offers a ride to broken down motorist, Hunter (James Le Gros, Point Break).

Hunter reveals some dark secrets and when Duprey’s attempts to escape him fail, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues. As Duprey fights for his life he discovers that this was no accidental encounter and he must take drastic action if he’s going to survive in this non-stop thriller in the tradition of classic Film Noir from acclaimed writer / director Kurt Voss (Where The Day Takes You, Baja) with an all-star supporting cast that includes Elizabeth Peña (Rush Hour), Jamie Kennedy (Scream), Michael McKean (Better Call Saul) and Nancy Allen (Robocop).

DVD Verdict: Highway Hitcher (aka The Pass) has commendable acting from everybody involved, of that have no doubt, inclusive of leads such as William Forstyhe, James LeGros, Elizabeth Peña, Jamie Kennedy, Michael McKean and Nancy Allen.

Sadly though, it is Kurt Voss’ writing and direction that makes this a less that stellar cinematic outing, and for that I am genuinely sorry as watching along I was oh-so hoping for it all to be taken up a notch.

Filmed as yet another hitcher-gone-bad type flick destined to thrill you, to mentally kick you here and there with pockets of excitement and trepidation, overall it is just a messy disappointment Because time and again the director/writer thinks he can fool audiences with en mass of unsubtle plot twists (and he simply cannot).

The lead character is made to be a complete loser of whom we don’t care from the get-go because we don’t know exactly the extent of his problems. Charlie (Forsythe) is presented as a lame ass from the off, spending his time gambling on the internet whilst his marriage collapses around him (although no history for such a thing and why is ever brought forth).

He gets it when he a mysterious man (LeGros) who needs a ride from him and the rest is all random murders and random encounters down meandering, and for the most part empty highways.

I won’t give it away, but after a few encounters much like this with the mysterious man, our “hero” suddenly awakens to the realization that perhaps he himself is not such a loser, a giant waste of space as he (and life) has made him out to be and so he finally beings to become a fearless fighter for the cause.

As aforementioned, there are quite a few twists involved in this movie, scattered throughout, but most all fall flat as you can see them coming a mile off.

Inclusive of dream-like sequences, some rough shot editing styles, sure, ok the thrill is still there throughout, with some rather great action sequences thrown in for good measure, but if you need a more frightening and realistic PSA for dealing with hitchers, then the much beloved The Hitcher (1986) is your film. This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Feature of an Original Theatrical Trailer.