History YMMV / TheHitcher

* {{Narm}}: When Sergeant Starr is being licked by the dog, the actor looks like he's barely avoiding grinning.

* RetroactiveRecognition: The interrogation inspector is played by Creator/ArminShimerman. Yes, the same guy who would later become well known for voicing [[Franchise/RatchetAndClank Dr. Nefarious]] and [[VideoGame/Bioshock Andrew Ryan]].

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:

* WTHCastingAgency: Many did not like Creator/ZacharyKnighton as Jim Halsey in the remake, since he not only felt miscast as Jim, but also gave the character a weaker performance compared to C. Thomas Howell's performance as Jim in the original.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The haunting, [[Music/EnnioMorricone Morricone]][=/=][[Music/BrianEno Eno]]-esque electronic score by Mark Isham, inspired heavily by the former's work on ''Film/TheThing1982''. For a sample, here's the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69vqdHFv9vo end credits theme]].

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Some moviegoers felt that Trooper Lyle Hancock, one of the InspectorJavert policemen pursuing Jim Halsey who is the most {{vigilante|Man}} and [[JerkassWoobie grief-strickenly ruthless]] out of the other cops, should have been given a larger pivotal supporting role with more screen time as one of the most [[RecurringExtra frequent]] and [[{{Determinator}} persistent]] {{Hero Antagonist}}s on Jim's tail, while acting as the irrational InspectorJavert {{Foil}} rival to the [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure more rational]] Captain Esteridge then just another background character in the original film after blowing the audience members away with his actor's brief, but emotional ItsPersonal RevengeBeforeReason RabidCop performance and his LoopholeAbuse attempt to commit an act of vigilantism against Jim. Instead, he is cut off from the film's main plot after Nash's BigDamnHeroes moment to save Jim from being [[VigilanteExecution personally summarily executed]], is left stranded for him and his partner to report their escape and never heard of again. A total waste of Hancock's portrayer Henry Darrow's exceptional emotionally-driven acting, especially considering at the time his past role as the iconic Mexican hero Franchise/{{Zorro}} in the 1981 animated series ''WesternAnimation/{{The New Adventures of Zorro|1981}}'' (through voice acting) and in the short-lived series ''Zorro and Son'' in 1983.

* Corpsing: [[spoiler: While the dog licks the blood off the dead trooper, the actor appears to have a bemused look on his face as if the actor is struggling not to laugh. ]]

* Corpseing: [[spoiler: While the dog licks the blood off the dead trooper, the actor appears to have a bemused look on his face as if the actor is struggling not to laugh. ]]

* Corpsing: [[spoiler]] While the dog licks the blood off the dead trooper, the actor appears to have a bemused look on his face as if the actor is struggling not to laugh.

* FoeYay: With a generous dollop of HoYay mixed in.

** When the cops Donner, Dodge and Starr arrested Jim, are they just {{Inspector Javert}}s [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure who after interrogation started think he could be innocent, but still booked and jailed him out of police protocol until Starr's other colleagues he mentioned could fully confirm Jim's innocence]], or are they AmbiguouslyEvil {{Dirty Cop}}s who could care less whether Jim is innocent or not and that they just want an excuse to imprison him.

* WhatAnIdiot: So many moments in the remake:
** For starters, [[spoiler: when trying to warn the family who picked up John Ryder about how dangerous he is, Jim and Grace pull into the other lane to get their attention. When the family doesn't seem to hear them, rather than pulling in front of their car to try to have them pull over, they linger in the other lane long enough for a semi to run them off the road, thus costing the lives of the family.]]
** [[spoiler: Speaking of the family, they didn't seem to think through their decision to pick up Ryder very well at all. Not only is it dangerous on it's own to pick up a stranger off the highway, but it is decidedly not a good idea to pick up a stranger when you have your ''kid'' in the car as well. Not only that, but they had the guy sit in the ''very back seat'' alone with their kid, when they couldn't have had any idea how he would act around children.]]
** When Ryder tries to go after Grace when she hides in the bathroom, she grabs a pistol and rather than killing or subduing him on the spot, she warns him that she has a gun. This wouldn't be so bad if she didn't know full well that the guy is a psychotic killer, and making him leave the premises would only endanger the lives of other innocent people.
** When the police [[spoiler: surround the truck that Jim is tied to, rather than having a few of them try to set Jim free, they all surround the cab and order Grace to show her hands.]]
** And finally, [[UpToEleven the big one.]] [[spoiler: After Ryder causes the transport van he is in to veer out of control, rather than wait for help as Esteridge orders her to do, Grace decides to take his gun and finish Ryder off once and for all. Not only does this action [[NiceJobBreakingItHero set Ryder free to kill Esteridge]], not to mention almost get herself killed, but she also leaves Esteridge stuck in the car and unable to escape or defend himself before Ryder shoots him. What's more, she does all of this on the assumption that Ryder survived the crash, [[MadeOfIron which he somehow did.]]]]

** Original film: [[DissonantSerenity John Ryder]] is a mysterious vagabond who gains a twisted obsession with the young hero Jim Halsey and begins hunting him down in an attempt to hurt and [[TheCorrupter corrupt]] him. After terrifying him once, Ryder is given a ride by a family of four and murders them all gruesomely, including the little children. Ryder sets up Jim as the murderer as he continues racking up a body count. Ryder's most infamous act is to tie Jim's LoveInterest, a waitress named Nash, between two trucks and [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe tear her in half]]. Twisted and monstrous, Ryder is only interested in turning Jim into as much a monster as he is and [[AxCrazy killing as many people as possible]].

** Averted with Creator/SeanBean as John Ryder in the remake, since his performance was actually pretty good.

* {{Narm}}:
** When Sergeant Starr is being licked by the dog, the actor looks like he's barely avoiding grinning.

* Narm:

** Henry Darrow plays a state trooper who happens to be a {{vigilante}}, which is interesting as Darrow had played the iconic vigilante Franchise/{{Zorro}} in the 1981 animated series ''WesternAnimation/{{The New Adventures of Zorro|1981}}'' (through voice acting) and in the short-lived series ''Zorro and Son'' in 1983 and would later be well known for his role as Zorro's father in the [[Series/Zorro1990 1990-1993 television series]].

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Some moviegoers felt that Trooper Lyle Hancock, one of the InspectorJavert policemen pursuing Jim Halsey who is the most {{vigilante}} and [[JerkassWoobie grief-strickenly ruthless]] out of the other cops, should have been given a larger pivotal supporting role with more screen time as one of the most [[RecurringExtra frequent]] and [[{{Determinator}} persistent]] {{Hero Antagonist}}s on Jim's tail, while acting as the irrational InspectorJavert {{Foil}} rival to the [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure more rational]] Captain Esteridge then just another background character in the original film after blowing the audience members away with his actor's brief, but emotional ItsPersonal RevengeBeforeReason RabidCop performance and his LoopholeAbuse attempt to commit an act of vigilantism against Jim. Instead, he is cut off from the film's main plot after Nash's BigDamnHeroes moment to save Jim from being [[VigilanteExecution personally summarily executed]], is left stranded for him and his partner to report their escape and never heard of again. A total waste of Hancock's portrayer Henry Darrow's exceptional emotionally-driven acting, especially considering at the time his past role as the iconic Mexican hero Franchise/{{Zorro}} in the 1981 animated series ''WesternAnimation/{{The New Adventures of Zorro|1981}}'' (through voice acting) and in the short-lived series ''Zorro and Son'' in 1983.