FILM NOIR. IT USED TO BE A NICHE GENRE... AND THEN ANY B+W CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE UTILIZING A GUN AND A DAME ALONG WITH COPIOUS CIGARETTES BECAME CLASSED AS FILM NOIR.
TAKING THE ORIGINAL SYNOPSIS OF JOJIMBO - THE JAP WESTERN GIVEN ANOTHER AIRING BY C.E DURING HIS AMERICANA REIGN - I'M THINKIN' THAT STORY WOULD HELP REVIVE THE PROTO-TENETS OF THE FILM NOIR GENRE.
AS FOR THIS..... I WAS REMINDED OF RUTGAR HAUER'S HITCHER MOVIE...PERHAPS EXPLAINING THE BACKSTORY TO THIS?
...R.E SCHOOL OF ACTING... WHEN DID ACTING STYLES ALTER? I MEAN, EARLI CINEMATIC EXPERIENCES SHOW THE PERFORMERS TO BE MORE NATURAL IN THEIR APPROACHE TO THE STORYLINE ETC. NOWADAYS THE PERFORMERS ARE STIFF AND LESS THAN MALLEABLE.
THE TRAIPSE THROUGH THE DESERT REMINDED ME OF THE ESCAPE SCENE FROM OUT THE FILM: THE GETAWAY. A FINE FILM I ADVISE YOU TO ENJOY.
TODAY EVERYTHING IS GREAT WHICH MEANS... AKIN TO THIS TALE, SOME DUBIOUS LAG IS GONNA WAYLAY ANY NOTIONS OF BEING GLAD - AS HAPPENED TO THESE TWO SAPS.
IF THEY'RE REPLETE WITH I.OU'S - THEN YOU KNOW THEY'RE GONNA SIT AT YER DESK... GET LOST, BUDDY!!!
..THE CONFUSION WHICH INSTIGATED THIS MOVIE WOULD BE, I SUSPECT, THE FACT THAT SOME DOLT TOLD ANOTHER DOLT TO: TAKE OUT ANOTHER DOLT.. BUT ON A DATE NOT IN THE MURDERSOME SENSE OF THE TERM.

I'm not real fond of hostage-noir

Not bad. Tense moments. Cool cars. Two guys going fishing get abducted at gun-point by ruthless, murdering hitchhiker on-the-run played by William Talman. Talman is best known as Perry Mason's nemesis, District Attorney, Hamilton Burger. Disappointing, as I had expected movie tough guy Edmund O'Brien to cold-cock this bum early on. O'Brien's character and his fishing bud ride endlessly through the Mexican desert going-along-to-get-along, until the cops catch up. Then O'Brien takes a well-deserved swing at the handcuffed creep. Watch it.