HITCH-HIKE is a moralistic Italian crime thriller with a sleazy feel that comes from the presence in the cast of David Hess, playing up to his usual sadistic LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT persona. He plays a volatile hitch-hiker who is picked up by bickering couple Franco Nero and Corinne Clery and subsequently holds them hostage on a lengthy road trip. The film has much in common with Mario Bava's RABID DOGS but is nowhere near as good, because the story is quite depressing and the incidents depicted are more unpleasant than not. Thee's a great deal of beating and humiliation, with nudity and rape the order of the day here. Saying that, the direction is slick and there's plenty of suspense too, amid the broken characters and outbursts of sadism. I found the big twist ending to be somewhat predictable given the film's level of nihilism as a whole.