Main Cast: John Hurt, Tim Roth, Laura del Sol, Terence Stamp, Bill Hunter
Release Year: 1984
Country: UK
Run Time: 97 minutes
Plot
In this offbeat crime film, Willie Parker (Terence Stamp) an English mobster turned informant, has been given a new identity and has been living in a small, isolated village in Spain for 10 years. Unfortunately for Parker, the men he has betrayed have ascertained his whereabouts and send Braddock (John Hurt), a professional hitman, and his apprentice Myron (Tim Roth) to bring Parker to Paris where his ex-associates await. After kidnapping Parker, nothing goes as planned. Now they are followed by a Spanish policeman (Fernando Rey) who seems to anticipate each of their moves, and they are burdened by Maggie (Laura del Sol), the mistress of a fellow mobster they were forced to kill. What should have been a routine hit becomes a psychological battle between all the participants as Parker, in a fight for time and for his life, plays one against the other. Set against the bleak Spanish landscape and featuring evocative and memorable theme music, the film builds to a surprising conclusion where the true nature of all the characters is revealed. Terence Stamp develops the character of Parker in a subtle but surprisingly comic performance and Laura del Sol shines as a woman who will do what is necessary to survive. Tim Roth, in his film debut, plays a brutal, but oddly endearing thug. But it is John Hurt, in a sensitive and nuanced performance, who brings a perceptive intelligence and depth to his role which adds a philosophical and psychological dimension to the film. Hurt plays his difficult role without a misstep and with a rare economy of action. Thoughtful and frequently amusing, The Hit, superbly written by Peter Prince, is both a compelling and suspenseful crime drama and also a deep and profound meditation on life, death and courage. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
Review
This relatively early feature effort from Stephen Frears set the tone for his justly celebrated The Grifters six years later, but it also stands on its own as an acute psychological mood piece. Despite its mid-sized cast and its variety of settings, from British courtrooms to the Spanish countryside, The Hit summons up a claustrophobic intensity from the tension-fraught interaction of four key players on a road trip to hell. From John Hurt's rumpled, tight-lipped hit man and Terence Stamp's cockily zen informant to the fresh-faced but ferocious Tim Roth and the nervy, vivacious Laura del Sol, each of the principals contributes top-notch work. The result is an efficient case study in the playing of mind games -- one where sun-bleached stillness and sudden violence share an equal capacity to fray the nerves of both audience and characters. The economical script, by future Waterland scribe Peter Prince, certainly made the director's job easier. But considering that the film was released a mere year before My Beautiful Laundrette, a very different sort of effort from Frears, The Hit offers further proof that the British director is a jack of all trades and master of many. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Fernando Rey - Chief Inspector; Jim Broadbent - Barrister; Miguel Garmendia - Tavern Keeper; Willoughby Gray - Judge; Lennie Peters - Mr. Corrigan; Brian Royal - Fellows; Bernie Searl - Hopwood; Carlos Tristancho - Garage Attendant; Xavier Aguirre - Young Basque; Joaquin Alonzo - Kidnapper; Patxi Barko - Young Basque; Juan Calot - Priest; A.J. Clarke - Third Man; Manuel de Benito - Juan, Willie's Bodyguard; Jose Luis Fernandez - Kidnapper; Carlos Lucena - Uniformed Officer; Emeko Olazagasti - Young Basque; Freddie Stuart - First Man; Camilo Vilanova - Kidnapper; Albie Woodington - Riordan; Carlos Zabala - Young Basque; Sheila Trezise; Enrique San Francisco - Kidnapper; Jeremy Thomas; Ralph Brown - Second Man
Credit
Julio Molina - Art Director, Joyce Herlihy - Associate Producer, Marit Allen - Costume Designer, Stephen Frears - Director, Mick Audsley - Editor, Paco de Lucía - Composer (Music Score), Karen Dawson - Makeup, Bob Smith - Camera Operator, Andrew Sanders - Production Designer, John A. Alonzo - Cinematographer, Michael Molloy - Cinematographer, Jeremy Thomas - Producer, Luciano Arroyo - Set Designer, Reyes Abades - Special Effects, Alan Whibley - Special Effects, Peter Prince - Screenwriter, Eric Clapton - Musical Performer
