China Lake (1983) User Reviews

Excellent short movie from the director of The Hitcher

[CalDexter · 7/10 · 9 November 2006]

This short film runs for thirty minutes and was written and directed by Robert Harmon who thanks to this flick got the job of directing the classic horror chiller The Hitcher.

Its the story of Motorcycle cop Donnelly, a man who spends his vacation time driving around on his Harley in the desert highways still dressed in his uniform.

Clearly halfway through this short we learn that Donnelly is deeply disturbed and psychopathic after coming across a few people that have upset him in his twisted ideal of what is right and wrong.

The actor Charles Napier does an excellent job of portraying this unpredictable and very dangerous Traffic Cop. My favourite scenes are when he has some banter with a waitress in a roadside diner and instantly dismisses her after getting angry in his mind at two cement workers,(one of them played by William Sanderson who was J.F. Sebastian in Blade Runner) who are eating their dinners and minding their own business. But in Donnelly's dangerous mind they are guilty of just being there.

The photography of this movie short is beautiful...the desert locations and use of music from other film sources are quite well put together. If you loved The Hitcher you will see this as a sort of dummy run, albeit a very good dummy run.

Seven Out Of Ten

Show's why they chose Harmon for The Hitcher...

[russell100uk · 8/10 · 2 January 2006]

Just saw this as it was included on the UK DVD Special Edition of "The Hitcher". A very good short feature, the story revolves around a biker cop (Napier) who uses his vacation time to indulge in meditation and dishing out his own brand of justice to various characters, including brutal torment to a cement worker. There's some excellent DOP work from Harmon which shows why he was chosen to direct "The Hitcher" as he really captures the arid nature of the desert settings, while still retaining a strong sense of beauty within the landscapes. As a story it's hard to define, but whatever else you won't feel you've wasted your time here, as the subject matter is nonetheless compelling.

Thrilling Short Film

[helenpurcell2012 · 8/10 · 12 October 2022]

A mesmerising short thriller from the director of 1986's even more remarkable "The Hitcher". Set in a beautiful vast desert just like the Hitcher, this kept me enthralled from beginning to end. I believe that to make a movie villain watchable, he has to have a strong sense of mystery which Charles Napier as Donnelly, the psycho cop, has in spades. I'd say he is almost on a par with Rutger Hauer in the Hitcher who to me was the scariest and most beguiling "bad guy" I have ever seen in all my 37 years on this earth! I really do not understand why most modern movies do not take this approach - modern movie bad guys lack charisma so much, they are all young and cute no grit and the movies are soulless. No thanks. I'll stick to watching these types! I highly recommend this to horror fans old and young!

As close to perfect as shorts get!

[waba-se-wasca · 9/10 · 23 July 2016]

'China Lake' is a great short movie that photographer-turned- director Robert Harmon, who later became well-known with 'The Hitcher' (1986), self-financed, wrote, produced, shot and directed over the course of a couple of years in the early 1980s. The preparation of the shoot took many months as Harmon was looking for the perfect locations to stage his road thriller and he succeeded. The final cut of the movie includes plenty of beautiful footage with fascinating lighting.

The short movie stars Charles Napier ('Rambo: First Blood Part II,' 1985) as maniac cop Donnelly, whose vacation activities each year include going on a vicious killing spree on the desert highways around the small town of China Lake. Donnelly's motorcycle rides through the desert are shot masterfully by Harmon and feature a number of scenes filmed from unusual camera angles.

'China Lake' must have impressed certain people in the film industry as it got Harmon the directing job for 'The Hitcher,' and it was also remade a couple of years later as a full-length television movie by the name of 'The China Lake Murders' (1990). In the remake, Charles Napier's character is played by Michael Parks ('From Dusk Till Dawn,' 1996), who is great in the role of the maniac cop. Napier's portrayal of Donnelly is very different from Parks' character in the television movie but equally charismatic and frightening in a different way.

'China Lake' is a very ambitious short movie that is as close to perfect as shorts get.

Not much happening

[momchilandonov-09412 · 5/10 · 12 December 2022]

To be honest almost nothing happens in this short movie, but with just $3k budged I shouldn't expect more. I liked the effect of the bullet shooting the locker - most movies wouldn't be able to make such practical effect under the same shot.

The movie could've had slightly more action and thrill considering the runtime. The Hitcher is a classic from start to finish and this is not even close to it.

I've watched it with the soundtrack removed due to avoiding copyright claims and it was really def. I don't think the first and last scene added much to the movie - probably just reflecting that life goes on as usual.