El Gran Golpe

Watch Melvin Smiley's more than complicated life erupt in chaos. His fiancée's parents are coming for a visit, his (other!) girlfriend is to blame that he's kind of out of money, he really ought to return the tape of King Kong Lives... On top of all that, Melvin soon gets problems of an even worse kind. A professional hit-man, Melvin suddenly finds himself in terrible danger of getting killed by his own co-workers when a kidnapping turns out to have been a bad idea.

It's crazy. Exaggerated, chaotic, full of somehow weird characters, often unrealistic action scenes, fun. I'm surprised this movie is so little known, and I am even more surprised that so many people hate it. Sure, if you expect a serious, realistic action movie, The Big Hit isn't the movie for you. You really need a sense of humour for this. Expect an action comedy, almost a parody, and you'll be entertained for sure.

Nobody will ever mistake this film for Shakespeare, but it's got something. True, the car scene is ridiculous (although any car enthusiast will tell you that the yellow car Melvin drives is a Trans Am, not a Camaro), but the timing of the film is-- well, pure Grosse Pointe Blank. Where GPB works subtly and gives us an amoral antihero trying to pretend to be good, The Big Hit gives us Melvin Smiley, a basically good guy who tries, and occasionally succeeds, to be bad.

Running gags like the kidnapping victim who keeps getting away, the turncoat "friend" who just won't die (played with wonderful reptilian zeal by Lou Diamond Phillips), and Elliot Gould's "prune juice," the nasty video store clerk (reminiscent of the "two dollars" kid from "Better Off Dead," and Bokeem Woodbine's love affair with his hand, keep the whole thing fun.

This movie will never win an Oscar. Y'know what? Man cannot live on Oscar-winners alone.

And it beats the heck outta Batman and Robin.

Wahlberg plays a contract killer who wants no more than to be liked in "The Big Hit"; a solid three star flick which features good action, stunts, pyro, CGI, camera work, etc. Protag Wahlberg juggles two difficult girl friends, a double cross, and a cute kidnapee (Chow) with the demands of his profession in this not-to-be-taken-seriously film with a spritz of romance. A fun and kinetic watch for those into the crime/action/comedy/romance genre mix. (B-)

This film was thoroughly enjoyable! Yes, it was unbelievable and the characterization was not so great, but who cares? The movie's humor comes from the very fact that it is completely absurd and way over the top. It was fun to watch, good for a laugh, had a lot of action, and the nice guy wins out in the end. What more do you want? Besides, Mark Wahlburg and China Chow are about the two best-looking people on the planet, so even if you don't like to movie you can still enjoy it.

This movie is about a day in the life of a hit man played by actor Mark Whalberg. Melvin (Mark Whalberg) has good life thanks to his talent as a hit man, but has very working class mentality going about his life. But none of the girls he associates with shares his work ethics, but just sees him as a cash cow, and a guy to dump all their troubles on to, until Cisco (Lou Diamond Phillips) kidnaps a Japanese mogul Jiro's (Sab Nishi) daughter Keiko (China Chow) and dumps her on to his lap. Keiko is the first to sympathize with Melvin and hits it off with him.

There are three stories going on simultaneously in this movie: One with Cisco and his boss Paris (Avery Brooks) who's a friend of Jiro's and wants the guy who kidnapped Keiko dead (not knowing that it's actually Cisco who did it). Second with Melvin's girl friend Pam (Christina Applegate) who's Jewish, and has a mother who is against her marrying this Irish Catholic guy. Third with Melvin and Keiko who's being kept at his house. All three converge at Melvin's house at lunch, and pandemonium breaks loose.

The story line is one of the most original, and is a feel good movie '90s style where the under dog anti-hero gets the good he deserves in the end. The riot is seeing all the other materialistic people around Melvin all trying to take advantage of him showing how nice of a guy he is despite his choice of profession.

Was this movie great ? Yes !! And is highly recommended.