The Hit (1985)

Brilliant Dialouge

This movie relates the story of an English gangster who turns on his partners and sells them out and moves to Spain. Ten years later men come looking for him and the movie relates the three days when he is kidnapped and pleading for his life while on a rollicking ride around Spain. The cast is essentially four people and the movie is made up of brilliant dialouge, John Hurt and Terence Stamp are brilliant. Director Stephen Frears has created a masterpiece.

Seth J. Frantzman August 3, 2007

"We'll Meet Again...Some Sunny Day"

Synopsis: Criminal Willie Parker (Terence Stamp) testifies against his partners in a London courtroom in order to secure his own freedom. As his testimony ends the accused begin to sing "We'll meet again" as their threat to seek revenge for his incriminating testimony.

The time and location now shifts and Willie has been relocated in a small rural town outside of Madrid, Spain. Unfortunately for Willie the passing of years has not erased the memory of his betrayal from the minds of his enemies. He is kidnapped by a professional killer none only as Mr. Braddock (John Hurt) and his assistant Myron (Tim Roth) to be escorted to Paris where he will have a brief reunion with "old friends" before he is to meet his inevitable fate.

However the journey doesn't go as planned for the abductors. Another passenger joins the group, a beautiful, buxom young woman named Maggie (Laura del Sol). While Mr. Braddock likes to keep things uncomplicated he can't bring himself to kill the lovely Maggie. The clever Willie seizes on the opportunity and begins to use her presence to undermine the main goal of the kidnappers, attempting to turn one against the other as he plans his escape.

Critique: Released in '85, `The Hit' is a satisfying psychological drama boasting three stellar performances from Terence Stamp, John Hurt and Tim Roth. This film presents a slow paced, nuanced, storyline that maybe a little difficult for some viewers to handle, but if you open yourself to the slower pace you will reap its rewards. Presented in an artsy, minimalist format, the film is cleverly counter balanced by a high energy Spanish flamenco soundtrack that does wonders for the atmosphere and texture of the viewing experience.

There are a couple of negatives but they rest in the production values of the DVD not in the film itself. It is full-screen instead of widescreen which bothers a film purist like me. There are also a couple of minor but noticeable wobbles in the picture, but they are brief and won't really distract you. So give it a watch, you won't be sorry. Once you cast your eyes upon Laura del Sol you won't be able to pull yourself away from the screen whether you like the film or not. July 26, 2007

Five for the Film

I saw this film when it came out, and was immensely impressed. I particularly remember Stamp's reading of "Death, thou shalt die", by Donne, which I thought was the most superb rendition of that great sonnet; and the gangsters singing "We'll meet again" at the beginning. However, I have been warned by the reviews of the dvd disc, and will not be shelling out 50 bucks for what sounds like a dismally poor transfer of a memorable work. Let's hope someone takes notice, does a proper job, and enables me to catch up with what I remember as a stunning flick. August 2, 2006

A great cast make this one a winner!

This is one of my favorite "unknown" classics from the 1980's, and one of the few 80's films that managed to cling to the gritty, purposeful aesthetics of the great action films of the 1970's.

The plot is simple: A couple of hit men are driving a mob informer to his place of execution. During the trip, tensions arise. What makes this film a beauty, beyond Stephen Frears exuberant, coming-into-his-own direction, is the brilliant casting.

John Hurt is a lean, grizzled grim reaper behind a pair of shades. Every word he speaks radiates pure death, and his flat gaze marks whoever it falls upon. Hurt, who has tremendous range as an actor, slips into the role of the killer "Mr. Braddock" with a still, icy ease. I have enjoyed Hurt's work for a long time, and I really think he is one of the best character actors in the world. Tim Roth plays Braddock's young sidekick with a combination of cockney attitude and simmering venom. This was Roth's first movie role, and it is all the more remarkable for that reason. Roth is another remarkable craftsman, able to simply dwell in a roll. In an interesting bit of trivia, Hurt and Roth would team up again a decade later in the excellent historical drama, Rob Roy, playing characters in the same kind of deadly symbiotic relationship. These two actors play off one another with expert ease, one the older master (Hurt) and the other the barely controlled apprentice (Roth).

The last piece of the acting puzzle is Terrance Stamp, who has had about as strong a mid to late career as an actor could hope for. He has aged very well, his features hardening into lean stone, much like Clint Eastwood. Stamp plays the mob informer that is going to be hit, and through some amazing acting he is able to portray a kind of transcendental peace that is truly moving.

The format for this DVD edition is, to say the least, a disappointment. The viewing public seems to be far more educated these days than studios and DVD packagers seem to realize. All buyers really want is the widescreen edition anymore and are willing to pay more for it. Hasn't that become obvious? Regardless of the poor production of this DVD, this is still a film worth having and I still recommend it. -Mykal Banta

April 29, 2005

Death "is as natural as breathing. Why should we be scared?"

After reading all the reviews stating how awful the dvd quality of "The Hit" was, I decided to buy the vhs. This is easily one of the most original mob movies ever made, with an outstanding cast and awesome music by Paco De Lucia. Years ahead of its time in terms of style and violence, I can see how a brilliant film like this would influence directors like Quentin Tarantino.

The movie begins in London, 1973, where veteran criminal Willie Parker (Terence Stamp) betrays his friends in exchange for immunity from the court. Ten years later, in Spain, Parker is abducted from his peaceful village by a group of amateurs, who "sell" him to hitman Mr. Braddock (John Hurt) and his rookie assistant (Tim Roth). Braddock and his assistant have been hired by Parker's former "partners-in-crime" to kill Parker, but the more they talk to Parker, the more puzzled they are. Parker is a totally willing victim who doesn't even try to escape from them, and throughout the movie he has several opportunities. Braddock and his assistant also take a beautiful woman (Laura del Sol) hostage, not realizing the consequences this will have on their original "assignment". After getting to know Parker, Mr. Braddock and his assistant begin to have doubts about killing him, but the violent confrontation at the end shows that some characters were hiding their true feelings about the bleak situation.

Terence Stamp and John Hurt were awesome, as was Tim Roth in his impressive film debut. What sets this apart from other mob movies is that this film focuses on the inner conflict that rages inside hitmen when they discover that their "target" is actually a likable person. It also takes an interesting view on death itself. A film this brilliant certainly deserves a Criterion Collection dvd release, but until then I recommend the vhs version. April 20, 2005

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