The Big Hit (1998)

Film fans might someday recognize 1997 and '98 as the years Hong Kong came to Hollywood. Stars Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Chow Yun-Fat, Jet Li, and Michelle Yeoh all appeared in major Hollywood projects and directors John Woo, Ronny Yu, and Tsui Hark directed Face/Off, Bride of Chucky, and Knock Off, respectively. Another entry into this new era of entertainment is The Big Hit, directed by Che-Kirk Wong (who also directed Jackie Chan in Crime Story), executive produced by John Woo, and produced by Wesley Snipes. Mark Wahlberg leads this all-American cast in a played-for-laughs macho blowout. Rounding out the testosterone brigade are Lou Diamond Phillips (sprouting a gold-capped tooth and a dirty mouth), Bokeem Woodbine (who, according to this DVD's director audio track, wore extra socks where it counts), Antonio Sabàto Jr., and Avery Brooks. Wahlberg plays Melvin Smiley, a nice-guy hit man with an ulcer and a severe insecurity problem. He's short on cash due to the spending habits of his unsuspecting fiancée Pam (Christina Applegate) and his girlfriend-on-the-sly Chantel (Lela Rochon). He and his crew decide to do a little freelancing and cook up their own heist to make a little mo' money--specifically by kidnapping Keiko (China Chow), the daughter of a Japanese businessman whom they target for ransom. Little do they know her dad is broke and she's the goddaughter of their boss. The Big Hit has action scenes aplenty (one of the stunt coordinators worked on Woo's The Killer and Bullet in the Head) and the same cornball sense of humor as other films in the Hong Kong action genre. Slick pacing and over-the-top humor made this movie a miss with the critics but a fun ride for fans of Hong Kong-styled action. --Shannon Gee Amazon.com

Action and comedy at it's best

The Big Hit is exactly what it intends to be a action comedy. Mark Wahlbeg shows his action star staus for the first time in this movie and the action sequences by Kirk Wong were some of the best in 1998. Lou Diamond Phillps and Bookem Woodbine provide great one liners in a very good film. . March 25, 2008

The Big Hit

Funny movie! The actors in this movie have great chemistry. Nice hd transfer to bluray. Two Thumbs up! January 12, 2008

Don't Kidnap the Boss's Goddaughter

If you enjoy gangsta action movies you are sure to enjoy this one with Mark Wahlberg and Lou Diamond Phillips. Good cast, decent story, and good music make it well worth at least a rental. I enjoyed it enough to want a copy of it. It reminded me of movies like "8 Heads in a Duffel Bag" and "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels". When a group of gangsters does an independent job it goes very wrong. Especially for Wahlberg that plays the guy who literally does all the work and is very good at his job. Unfortunately the stress of a fiance and a lover wanting fine homes, cars, and lots of money is causing him to have a stomach ulcer and he can't poor the Milanta down fast enough. I recommend it. July 19, 2007

The Big Hit

It's an alright movie. You have good known actors playing in it and that's what makes a better movie. July 9, 2007

An average action flick that you can't help but to laugh

This is a ridiculous movie, which is why I liked it so much. It is a very stylish movie with the action scenes having lots of crazy jumps, flips, and explosions. In here we have Mel, played by Mark Wahlberg, who is a hit man who works as part of a crew for Paris. However he has money problems and stress that gives him a constant upset stomach. His main stress comes from his two women. His fiancé has arranged for her disapproving parents to come to stay with them for the weekend, while his girlfriend Chantel is determined to get every penny she can out of him. When Cisco offers him a job outside of Paris's contracts he takes it and kidnaps Keiko, the daughter of a rich industrialist who also happens to be Paris's goddaughter. Betrayed by Cisco, Mel finds himself with the hostage but also targeted by plenty of firepower.

I've seen this couple of times and fine it worthwhile. The plot is silly but could have worked, however the action scenes don't really have any character and are best described as functional rather than special. The director has chosen to give the film a constant energy and pace rather than work on giving the film it's own character or style. Some of the scenes hint at what could have worked in the script. Quiet scenes between Mel and Keiko show a character that should have been worked into the action better. Instead these are rare and make way for meaningless, overblown action sequences which also, surprisingly for Wong, lack a sense of character or excitement. The effects aren't as good as you'd hope and several blue screen bits are poor.

Wahlberg is likeable in a goofy innocent role as Mel. He does well with the action as well as the insecure character. Phillips is either bad or brilliant depending on your feelings about what his role needed. He hams it up so much that at times he's hard to take but he compliments the absurd vein of comedy running through the narrative. Woodbine is wasted despite an amusing running gag about his discovery of [...]. The biggest waste for me was Lela Rochon. In `Knock Off' she proved that she is talented and sexy enough to rise above a bad film, here she hardly has any screen time - another example of wasted talent.

However this is disposal more than anything else. It has enough pace and energy to fool you into being entertained and in fairness the time does pass quite easily. My only complaint is that the film's style goes overboard towards the end of the movie, watch it and you'll see what I mean. Overall this is an average action movie who's weaknesses outweigh any strengths it may have had at the time of writing the original script.
June 7, 2007

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