''The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting'' is a 2003 American

direct-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strateg ...

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

horror thriller Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by

Louis Morneau Louis Morneau is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Life Morneau has been described as a "graduate of the Roger Corman school". He is the director of various B/ cult films, including what Dread Central calls ’the notoriou ...

and starring

C. Thomas Howell Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966) is an American actor and director. After making his film debut with a supporting role in ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), Howell had his breakout with a lead role as Ponyboy Curtis in the c ...

, returning as Jim Halsey,

Kari Wuhrer Kari Samantha Wuhrer (born April 28, 1967) is an American actress, model, and singer. She is known for her time as hostess of the MTV game show ''Remote Control (game show), Remote Control'' (1988–1989), her portrayals of Abby Holland, Abigail ...

as his girlfriend Maggie, and

Jake Busey William Jacob Busey (; born June 15, 1971) is an American actor. Among his most prominent roles have been serial killer Johnny Bartlett in 1996's ''The Frighteners'', Ace Levy in 1997's ''Starship Troopers'', Kyle Brenner in 2001's '' Tomcats'', ...

as psychotic hitchhiker Jack. It is the sequel to the 1986 film '' The Hitcher''. The film was released on

in the United States on July 15, 2003.

Plot

Fifteen years after the events of '' The Hitcher'', Jim Halsey (

) now works as a

police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...

. He has recently been suspended for using

excessive force Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...

on a kidnapping suspect, and decides to visit retired Captain Esteridge in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

to talk about his lingering mental issues. Jim's girlfriend, Maggie (

), who has a

crop dusting Aerial application, or crop dusting, involves spraying crops with crop protection products from an agricultural aircraft. Planting certain types of seed are also included in aerial application. The specific spreading of fertilizer is also known a ...

business, is unaware of Jim's past and pleads to come along. Arriving in Texas, the couple pick up a car that Estridge has left for them, and set off to his house. The drive on the lonely road triggers Jim's

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster, traffic collision, ...

, and when they see an RV that has been run off the road, blood dripping through the door, Jim refuses to stop and help. A motorcycle speeds past them and crashes. Maggie insists they take the driver on board. The Hitcher (

) is insistent on making small talk and joking with them, but Jim is overwhelmed and evicts him from the car. Jim and Maggie are eventually pulled over by a cop, but have been also followed by the Hitcher, who has hijacked an 18-wheeler truck and killed its driver. The Hitcher shoots the cop and tries to grab Jim and Maggie but is thrown off the car when they escape. The couple arrive at the Esteridge residence late at night, but the Captain and his wife have been killed by the Hitcher. Jim and Maggie are caught in a shootout between the Hitcher, who is in the hayloft of the barn, and the local police, who have arrived on the scene. Jim pushes Maggie out of harm's way and is shot by the Hitcher. As he dies, he tells her to kill the Hitcher. Maggie escapes in her car. Maggie falls asleep in the desert. When she wakes up, she is knocked unconscious and put inside an abandoned water tower on the verge of collapsing. The Hitcher taunts her and then leaves. Maggie escapes and uses his 18-wheeler to get away. She arrives at a gas station, makes a phone call and cleans up. The Hitcher has followed her and kills the clerk. He intends to frame Maggie for all the killings, and as part of this plan, cuts off his own finger. The police arrive at the gas station. The Hitcher spins his story and Maggie is arrested. She is transported by the sheriff's van, but during the journey the vehicle is knocked on its side by an excavator. The Hitcher kills all the police officers of the escort, and tosses the key and a revolver to Maggie to make it look like she killed them. Maggie rams a mail carrier plane from a nearby airfield into the Hitcher's stolen tanker truck, but escapes the ensuing explosion. She finds the unconscious Hitcher and ties him to the truck. When he wakes up, realizing he is trapped, he begs for mercy. Before Maggie can execute him, the police show up. The Hitcher yells that Maggie is trying to kill him. The police free the Hitcher and shoot Maggie in the leg as she attempts to enter the truck's cab. Once free, the Hitcher kills the cops. Maggie gets a safe distance away and shoots the tanker, which explodes and kills the Hitcher. Maggie drops the shotgun to the ground and stands in the road, facing the remains of the burning truck.

Cast

as Jim Halsey *

as Maggie *

as Jack, The Hitcher *

Janne Mortil Janne Mortil (born December 14, 1967) is a Vancouver-based Canadian actress probably best known for playing Madeleine Astor in ''Titanic'' (1996) and Michelle Dupont in the television series ''Side Effects'', for which she was nominated for a Ge ...

as Sergeant Kibble *

Mackenzie Gray Alexander Mackenzie Gray (born 22 November 1957) is a Canadian film, television, and stage actor. He is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Canada. He divides his time between Toronto and Vancouver. Life and career Gray was born in Toront ...

as Lieutenant *

Shaun Johnston Shaun Johnston is a Canadian movie and theater actor best known for his role as Jack Bartlett on the CBC drama ''Heartland'', which debuted in October 2007. He co-founded the Shadow Theatre in Edmonton and made his first professional forays in ...

as Sheriff Castillo *

Steve Railsback Steve Railsback (born November 16, 1945) is an American theatre, film, and television actor. He is best known for his performances in the films '' The Stunt Man'' and ''Lifeforce'', and his portrayal of Charles Manson in the 1976 television mini- ...

as Deputy Jessup (uncredited)

Reception

David Nusair of ''Reel Film'' gave the film one and a half stars, citing weak production values and the contrivance of the killer being a second hitch-hiking maniac with no connection to the one from the first film. However, he praised C. Thomas Howell's performance, while noting that the film places much more focus on Kari Wuhrer.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting, The 2000s American films 2000s chase films 2000s English-language films 2000s horror thriller films 2000s road movies 2003 crime thriller films 2003 direct-to-video films 2003 films 2003 psychological thriller films American chase films American crime thriller films American horror thriller films American neo-noir films American road movies American sequel films American serial killer films Direct-to-video sequel films Direct-to-video thriller films English-language action thriller films English-language crime thriller films English-language horror thriller films Films about hitchhiking Films directed by Louis Morneau Films set in Texas Films shot in Alberta Universal Pictures direct-to-video films