Saturday, June 20, 2009
The Hit
The Hit is a 1984 film by Stephen Frears starring John Hurt, Terrence Stamp, Tim Roth, as the principle characters and even features Fernando Rey, one of my favorite Bunuelian principles as a Spanish detective in the police procedural subplot. The primary plot involves Hurt and Roth's transfer of a protective custody stoolie across Spain to France on the behalf of the man he had fingered ten years earlier.
The film is interesting because it was done at a time where seventies cynicism was still in vogue vs. post-modern wink and nod irony that folks like Tarantino (with Roth in tow) brought to us about a decade later. This is a gritty little film with some fine writing and characterization. Roth's portrayal of Myron, a young punk thug on his first hit is probably the most interesting. He is a full bundle of raw nerve energy with a level of danger. This character and performance are reminiscent of Clu Gulager in Don Siegel's The Killers. I find most of Roth's work pretty self-conscious, but here there was something young, dangerous and different.
It is rare to find a satisfying mix of action film and plot-driven character study. The Hit provides both of these elements and, for that reason, is worth checking out.
posted by well-executed buffet at 2:24 PM
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