Talk:Jim Halsey/@comment-130.203.99.194-20190115225355

This may seem strange, but the central reason that The Hitcher remains one of my favorite films of all time is because I identified so closely with Jim Halsey when I first viewed it. To this day, I'm still not quite sure why, but I believe that the reason is twofold: on a very-basic, superficial level, I think that the fact that I looked quite similar to him in my younger days naturally compelled me to relate to him. Much more importantly, though, the character is portrayed in such a realistic way that I felt that I could literally trade places with him and react in hte exact same manner as he did to the various hellish situations he had to deal with throughout the course of the movie (It still annoys me when I hear anyone criticize Tommy Howell's acting abilties, and I continue to firmly believe that he does not get the credit he deserves for his superior performance in this film). It was heartening to hear that he considers this role such a pivotal one in his development as a person and also as a highlight of his extensive career, a fact that he confirmed to me during my two in-person meetings with him. He made Jim appear sympathetic and likeable while also giving him a tough, resilient nature when the need arose - a rather-difficult feat, in my opinion. If Jim Halsey were a real person, I would gladly seek his friendship.

P.S. Avoid both the cringe-worthy sequel as well as the obtrusive remake, both of which deserve to be forgotten.