WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU INVITED DEATH INTO YOUR CAR?

When two buddies (Edmond O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy) who are going on a fishing trip pick up a hitchhiker (William Talman), they have no idea that he’s a murderer on the run. Famous as the first film noir thriller directed by a woman, the movie also offers a different milieu than we’re used to from this genre – instead of a dark urban landscape, we get desolate desert locations where there’s no escape for the two hostages. The director and her ex-husband based their story on actual events, confidently building tension. Simple in many ways, but Talman has the right villainous snarl.

1953-U.S. 71 min. B/W. Produced by Collier Young. Directed by Ida Lupino. Screenplay: Collier Young, Ida Lupino. Cast: Edmond O’Brien (Roy Collins), Frank Lovejoy (Gilbert Bowen), William Talman (Emmett Myers), José Torvay.

IMDb