Hitman

Harley Cross does fine work here as Travis Knight. Travis and his family were living out in the middle of nowhere in the witness protection program until their temporary hideout is infiltrated by gangsters. Travis is not only the sole survivor of the massacre, but also the only one who can identify the perpetrators. Two hit men known only as Cohen (Roy Scheider) and Tate (Adam Baldwin) are hired to kidnap the boy and drive him to their boss.

But, they're not dealing with just some kid. Travis actually turns out to be rather clever in what may seem like a helpless situation, figuring out Cohen and Tate's psychological weaknesses (Cohen is a by-the-book-no-questions-asked hit men while Tate takes pride in tormenting the smart-mouthed kid) and using it against them to protect himself.

It is a very simple film done quite well because it entirely character-driven. Surprisingly, it is quite a good thriller, despite the usual story of the hired hand and the mafia witnesses with great performances all around.

The nine year-old boy Travis Knight (Harley Cross) witnesses the murder of a Houston mobster. His parents and he go to a safe house in Oklahoma protected by three FBI agents under the witness protection program. However one agent betrays the group and the hitmen Cohen (Roy Scheider) and Tate (Adam Baldwin) kill the agents and Travis' parents. They kidnap Travis since a Mafia boss wants to know who killed the other mobster. Along their travel to Houston, Travis finds that Tate is a hotheaded psychopath that enjoys to kill while the veteran Cohen is a calmer professional killer. Travis try to put Cohen against Tate while tries to flee. What will happen to the trio?

The first thing that calls the attention in "Cohen and Tate" is the totally underrated IMDb User Rating. This excellent thriller by Eric Red is supported by a tense storyline well-supported by a magnificent screenplay and top-notch performances of Roy Scheider, Adam Baldwin and the boy Harley Cross. The character Travis Knight is extremely clever and his attitude is probably one of the greatest attraction of this little gem. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Criança por Testemunha" ("A Child as Witness")

This was the film that first marked out for me the name Eric Red as one to watch.Not only a tense,character-driven thriller,but a wonderful ensemble piece to boot,with Alec Baldwin (not a name I knew,but one I've looked out for since) and Roy Scheider (working for that rarity:A filmmaker who understands his strengths and plays to them) providing perfect foils to one another-slipping from comedy to edgy tension and back again without breaking sweat. Don't bother with it if you're after cheap thrills n' spills-give it a try and think of the road movie Hitchcock might have made...

I don't know what it is I liked about this movie but I found it to be one of the movies that I laugh at for unknown reasons, I thought it was great and have seen it at least 10 times, probably more, it is most certainly worth watching at least once.

Anyone who doesn't like this movie is immature and relies on cheap thrills for entertainment. This is a perfect example of making a good movie with a low budget and no extremely well-known actors. On a scale of 1 to 10, this movie is an easy 8 1/2.