La proie de l'autostop

Director Pasquale Festa Campanile is best known for thoroughly unremarkable comedies, some of which being on the saucy sexy side. This film here, however, does not easily fit into his CV.

Autostop rosso sangue is a moody thriller, with a collection of unpleasant characters one would rather expect in a piece by Ruggero Deodato. If this film contains any humour (which is debatable) then certainly only of the dark and cynical kind. There are clear-cut villains (no surprises: David Hess) in this film, but the complete absence of really likeable characters makes this uncomfortable viewing. This film is certainly not for everyone and many people will find it shocking.

Still, Autostop... is excellently put together, it is very effective in what it is trying to do. Campanile may be out of his genre here but he certainly was not out of his depth - this is one of his best films.

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?

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)

A road rager full sick people and guilty pleasures. Nero is a twisted newspaper writer with a nasty streak against his lovely and all too forgiving wife played by Clery. On a return from holiday they pick up a stranded motorist (David Hess), who unknown to them was just involved in a $2 million dollar heist. What follows is a weell-paced often violent road flick that manages to entertain and promote a little thoght. You almost need a score card to follow all the backstabbing and two-timing going on. The plot zig-zags like a road to hell and nobody taking the trip is who they seem. 7/10

"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