Travel companion (film, 1986, USA)

Driving a Cadillac through Texas ,Jim Halsey picks up on the road fellow traveler , who is represented by John Ryder. Driving past a car standing on the sidelines, Jim intends to slow down, because it seems to him that he saw something there, but the Travel Companion prevents him from doing this. A fellow traveler tells Jim that he killed the driver of that car, and that he was about to do the same with Jim. When Jim asks what Ryder wants from him, he answers: "I want you to stop me." Jim opens the door and, throwing a fellow traveler out of the car, leaves.

The next day, Jim continues the trip. He is overtaken by a car with his family. Suddenly, a fellow traveler peeks out from behind the toys. Jim tries to tell them to get rid of the Travel Companion. Jim later sees that family’s car wrecked, with the corpses of passengers lying in it. In search of a phone, Jim stops at an abandoned gas station. There he again meets the fellow traveler, but he only throws the keys to Jim, which he stole in Jim's car earlier, and leaves. Jim sees the fellow traveler stop and get into the car to his next victim. Jim goes to another gas station, where he nearly explodes with the car due to a fire arranged by the Fellow traveler.

Jim arrives at a nearby cafe. He meets the waitress Nash. Suddenly, Jim notices a human finger in food. Policemen come and arrest Jim, having found in his pocket a bloodied knife thrown by a fellow traveler. After questioning him, the police do not believe in his guilt, however they put Jim in a cell. Waking up after a while in the cell, Jim discovers that all the police officers on duty at the station are killed. Taking a revolver of one of the dead, Jim runs away. Reaching the phone, Jim sees two policemen and takes them hostage. Climbing into their car, he asks them to get in touch with someone else by radio. Captain Estheridge gets in touch with them, who promises Jim to sort things out. At that moment, a fellow traveler catches up with a police car and kills both policemen.

Desperate, Jim goes back to the cafe, where a fellow traveler sits at his table. Jim points a revolver at him, which turns out to be unloaded. A fellow traveler leaves him ammo and leaves. Jim sneaks into the departing bus. The same bus gets Nash. Jim convinces her of his innocence. The police stop the bus, and Jim again decides to surrender. However, one of the police officers, who considers Jim a killer maniac, wants to avenge his colleagues and shoot him on the spot. Suddenly Nash intervenes and, threatening with a weapon, forces the police to let Jim go. The police chase after them, but a fellow traveler shoots at a police helicopter whose crash helps Jim and Nash escape from the police chase.

Together they go to the nearest hotel. While Jim washes in the shower, a fellow traveler abducts Nash. Jim searches for her and meets Captain Estheridge, who leads him to a truck surrounded by police. Between the truck and the trailer, Jim sees Nash tied by her arms and legs. Esteridge tells Jim that if the police open fire on Ryder, his foot will release the clutch and the truck will drive. Jim goes into the cab to Ryder to talk to him. Ryder gives him a revolver and tells Jim to shoot. But Jim doesn’t pull the trigger, because if he kills a fellow traveler, then Nash will die. Frustrated by Jim's inaction, Ryder takes the revolver from him and presses on the gas, tearing Nash in half.

Ryder taken into custody. Jim is driving home with Estheridge. But convinced that the police will miss Ryder, Jim grabs a revolver from Estheridge and forces him to get out of the car. Jim goes for a fellow traveler to end him on his own. He catches up with the bus in which the traveling companion rides. At this time, Ryder kills his escorts and jumps on the windshield of Jim's car. Jim presses the brake abruptly, and a companion flies out of the car. While Jim comes to his senses, a fellow traveler gets to his weapon and shoots at the car. Finally, Jim manages to start the car. He presses on the gas and knocks down Ryder. Stepping out of the car, Jim walks over to a body lying motionless. He makes sure Ryder is dead and heads back to the car. At that moment, the fellow traveler rises and throws the handcuffs removed from himself under Jim's feet. Jim turns and shoots.

• Sea Thomas Howell - Jim Halsey
• Rutger Hauer - John Ryder / Travel Companion
• Jennifer Jason Lee - Nash
• Jeffrey DeMann - Captain Estheridge
• John Maurice Jackson - Sergeant Starr
• Billy Green Bush - Police Donner
• Jack Thibault - Preston Police Officer
• Armin Shimerman - Sergeant

• The film instantly became a cult in the USSR , although in the west the tape was initially met quite coolly.
• Rutger Hauer became so accustomed to the role of a maniac that Sea Thomas Howell was even afraid of his partner on the set.
• This is the second film in which you can simultaneously see both Rutger Hauer and Jennifer Jason Lee . Previously, they starred together in the historical drama Flesh and Blood .
• In 2003, director Louis Morneau filmed the sequel - " Travel Companion 2 ".

• Kudryavtsev S.V. Fellow traveler // 3500. Book of film reviews . - in 2 volumes. - M .: Pechatny Dvor, 2008 .-- 1424 p. - 3500 copies. - ISBN 978-5-9901318-3-5 .

• Travel companion (English) on allmovie  
• Travel Companion on Rotten Tomatoes  
• Travel Companion Box Box Mojo
• Roger Ebert . Review and criticism of the film (English) (February 21, 1986). Date of treatment November 28, 2010. Archived on February 5, 2012.
• Janet Maslin . Review and criticism of the film . The New York Times (February 21, 1986). Date of treatment November 28, 2010. Archived January 31, 2013.
• Review and criticism of the film (English) (inaccessible link) . Variety Date of treatment November 28, 2010. Archived on February 5, 2012.