Rutger Hauer Tribute: A One-Man Slaughterhouse

In The Hitcher the part of the psychotic John Ryder was more brutal than anything he'd done before. The film sees a kid being drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a deranged hitchhiker. It is filled with sticky violence as Ryder slices cops' throats and drenches the Arizona deserts with blood. Raising the film above the average slick 'n' dice is Hauer's portrayal of Ryder as a man sickened by his own monstrousness.

"What do you want?" asks the terrified Kid. "I want you to stop me," he replies. Looking into those manic blue eyes, you believe him.

In the 90s Hauer settled into becoming a dependable working character actor, appearing in TV, television movies and supporting parts including roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and Surviving the Game (1994).

As the 2000s came into . full swing, Hauer was picked up for more bad guy roles in high profile movies. He showed a human greed in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (2005) and was the perverse and cannibalistic Cardinal Roark in the technically stunning Sin City (2005).

Hauer continued to work eagerly up to his final years. In the last 15 years of his career he appeared in over 50 films and even managed to direct two and became a cult figure on the small screen for his recurring role in True Blood.

Hauer died on July 19th, 2019 after a short illness. He was aged 75.