The Hit 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, Rovi
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