Hit, The

Although Stephen Frears’ existential crime thriller has to be admired for its offbeat originality it doesn’t really come off. Terence Stamp plays Willie, an English villain who grassed on his mates. Scroll forward ten years and he’s living under police protection in the south of Spain when two hitmen, Braddock (John Hurt) and his helper, Myron (Tim Roth in his big screen debut) turn up to take him back to face the gang boss, Mr. Corrigan who has just got out of nick  Along the way they meet an Australian crim, Harry (Bill Hunter) and his girlfriend, Maggie. (Laura del Sol), a lubricious trollop. Braddock kills Harry and despite promising to kill Maggie, takes her along on the journey.

The point you need to appreciate and that isn’t too well established is that Willie has spent the past decade soul-searching and as a result of this, much to the consternation of the hitmen is indifferent to his impending demise. As the journey unfolds Willie's good humour and the presence of the fecund Maggie,unsettles the hitmen’s relationship and they become increasingly unsure of their mission.

Frears is a fine director who has turned his hand to many different kinds of story with great success. This one, however, he doesn’t seem to be able to get to work (it was written by Peter Prince an experienced TV writer whose play, 'Television Times', performed by the RSC in 1980, was directed by Frears). Leaving aside the throwaway ending, it is as if the Kiarostami-like journey across the vast treeless, dusty landscape is too large a backdrop for the relative inaction of the characters with Frears never really seeming convinced by what he is trying to say. Thus, we ask ourselves, how should we take Willie's final scene with Braddock, one in which the former appears to lose his spiritual sang froid.

Indeed one can’t help but think that Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (1992) in which Roth starred, managed what Frears did not – to find a form that fitted its comparable message. In hindsight you’d have to say that the film has a brilliant concept but only a so-so realization of it (and why Fernando Rey was chosen to play the pursuing cop is anyone’s guess). Nevertheless, the performances. particularly that of Hurt, are good and for those who like the slightly offbeat, The Hit is worth checking out.

 

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