***MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS***
Absolutely mind-blowing and shocking. It was very brutal and bloody and intense, and that's really all this movie is meant to be.
Sean Bean (Flightplan, National Treasure, Silent Hill) is absolutely horrifying. He plays the part so well it actually made me believe he was an actual hitcher/murderer. Surprisingly, the other unknown actors were pretty good. Most of them weren't in many big films.
So, the whole plot line: A college couple Grace Andrews (Sophia Bush) and Jim Hasley (Zachary Knighton) encounter a hitcher named John Ryder (Sean Bean), and little do Grace and Jim know, that he is very, very dangerous. They pick him up in their 1970 Oldsmobile 442, and Grace's and Jim's waking nightmare begins. Their initial encounters with John Ryder are increasingly uncomfortable and off-putting for Grace and Jim, and they bravely fight back when Ryder ambushes them. But, they are horrifically blindsided when he involves them in a terrifying slaying and continues to shadow them. And soon, the open highway road becomes a dangerous place and becomes a battleground of blood, metal, and guns, and trying not to avoid Ryder but also the New Mexico State Police Lieutenant Esteridge's (Neal McDonough) officers, Grace and Jim must bravely and terrifyingly fight for their lives and face their most nightmarish fears head-on.
There are also many gory parts in the movie. NOTE: THIS MAY EXTREMELY SPOIL THE MOVIE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE GORY PARTS UNTIL THEY SEE THE MOVIE.
--A man is tied between two trucks, and is then torn apart. --A man's throat is slashed, and blood spurts and sprays. It's very graphic. Yay.
I can't think of any more gory parts at the moment, but I think those will give you a pretty clear idea on how gory the movie is.
It's a brutal adventure and it's an awesome movie. The best movie of the month.
Violence/Gore: 8/10, Sex/Nudity: 5/10, Profanity: 6/10, Drugs/Alcohol: 2/10
Original MPAA rating: R: Strong Bloody Violence, Terror, and Language
My MPAA rating: R: Strong Bloody Violence, Brutality, Terror, and Language, and A Brief Scene of Sexuality/Nudity
My Canadian rating: 18A: Gory Violence, Frightening Scenes, Disturbing Content, Coarse Language