Autostop rosso sangue

No, they don't do movies like this anymore. A tough one about self-hatred, mayhem and self- destruction: Franco Nero as a down-&-out reporter, Corinne Clery as his sexy, completely hollow spouse, plus David Hess doing his usual good- humored-and-mean-as-hell thing. "Autostop Rosso Sangue" is sleazy, sexist, ultra-violent, but not without some unforgettable moments: The naked Clery in front of a trailer holding a huge rifle in the middle of the night is like a hastily written, edgy but brilliant poem found in a tattered paperback left in a cheap motel. For a few short hours in his life, Pasquale Festa Campanile, creator of some of the worst Euro comedies ever, turned into a poète maudit of the most cynical kind. This is the kind of grindhouse cinema nobody can embrace with seventies nostalgia: mature, brutal, knowing, never "cool", always cold, gripping and utterly nihilistic. Anything else you would ask for?

"Hitch Hike" is one of the best road movies I have ever seen. The legendary David Hess pulls off another great performance as the brutal hitch-hiker whilst the loving couple Franco "Django" Nero and Corinne Clery as Walter and Eve make for compulsive viewing.

Involving and always engaging. Some great twists, wonderfully nasty minor individuals complete with decent characterisation make this essential for any video collection.

8/10

I agree with the other reviewers who lament David Hess's minor film career--his three key roles (Last House, House on the Edge, and Hitch Hike) showed amazing sleaze potential (he could've been the wisecracking villain in summer action movies if his time had come 20 years later). "Hitch Hike" can be called a precursor to the action films that litter multiplexes now, but it is also much more. It's an uncommon little B movie with the gloss and name actors (Franco Nero, Corrine Clery) of an A picture, along with a surprising moral slant, gay stickup men, and twists galore. Like most Italian exploitation films, "Hitch Hike" sometimes bogs down in a bit too much excess talk, but it helps flesh out the characters--they're not mere victims or heroes, but people, too. And for fans of Hess, this is a no-brainer. (A word of advice--seek out the Anchor Bay DVD, which is remastered and preserves the film's 1.85:1 aspect ratio.)

7/10

With all the crap movies we in the US suffered through in the 1970's both domestic and foreign, it's amazing that this little gem never got widely released. This movie is part film noir, part existential road movie, and part Italian giallo. It's very suspenseful and contains many strong scenes of realistic violence (and sexual violence), but never veers into the realm of total tastelessness like much of the 70's drive-in fare (especially the Italian-made stuff). The score from Ennio Morricone is great. The three leads are phenomenal. Franco Nero is so charismatic you forget what a bastard he is. Not surprisingly (considering it's an Italian exploitation movie), Bond girl Corrine Clery spends half the film at least partially naked, but what is surprising is that she would have been excellent regardless. And David Hess is better than he was in Last House on the Left. The British DVD contains a superb documentary which interviews the three stars, and it's downright surreal seeing a middle-aged, mild-mannered David Hess. He played a sick creep so well in this and other 70's movies, I had just assumed he was one in real life. The most amazing thing about this movie though was that it was shot in Italy. The filmmakers did such a good job capturing the look of 1970's Northern California and Nevada that I was having flashbacks of childhood road trips with my parents. And what an ending! They just don't make 'em like this anymore. Highly recommended.

The simple, straightforward direction, the visually beautiful locations, the atmospheric score, and Franco Nero's great performance (I know David Hess has his fans also, but he really doesn't display much charisma in this role; imagine what a Henry Silva could have done with this!) are all positive qualities of the film. But the script is so nihilistic and cold-hearted that it's really hard to say you "liked" the film. The story becomes so labored, tries so hard to come to the most downbeat conclusion possible, that the film goes on at least 20 minutes too long. (**1/2)