Hit!

I had prepared a long in-depth comparison between this film and Steven Soderbergh's vastly overrated 2001 film - two films with similar subject matter of the U.S. War on Drugs, but unfortunately that review got erased. My basic point was that Soderbergh's film purported to be a serious, realistic saga on the conflict between the U.S government and the illegal Mexican drug system, but was in fact a collection of pretentious, meandering plot lines, with the plot line involving the U.S. Drug Czar's cocaine-addict honor student daughter being the most ridiculous. That film also reached no definite conclusion about the U.S.'s War on Drugs.

Conversely, the now-obscure film "Hit!" on the surface appears to be one of many blaxploitation/vigilante movies from the 1970s but successfully rises above its pulp origins to become a semi-serious commentary on U.S. drug policies with stellar acting from Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, Warren Kemmerling, and virtually everyone else. Williams carefully organizes a diverse "A-Team"-like group of misfits to destroy the French heroin cartel and its importation into the U.S. following the death of his daughter from a fatal overdose. Though often witty, this film never loses sight of the seriousness of the drug problem, and in fact reaches a very definite conclusion: the U.S. government really could stop the drug trade if it wised-up, went after the people at the top rather than small-time pushers, and "got off its ass," as a resigned Williams states at the end.

Though other reviews criticize the film's length (which is just over two hours), I enjoyed director's Furie's decision to carefully develop all the minor characters here. This movie has excellent production values. As usual, Furie is a master at setting up scenes visually, and the final assassinations prove to be very suspenseful and impressive. This is a film that deserves a second look, and has earned my recommendation.

Starring Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor. With a title called Hit! This has all the hallmarks of a 1970s Blaxploitation movie but that is a deception.

Nick Allen (Billy Dee Williams) is a federal agent who goes rogue when his teenage daughter dies of a heroin overdose.

Realising that getting the pushers is not enough and the US government not interested in the big fish who live a life of luxury France.

Allen organises his own team in secret. People who have suffered loss because of drugs. He trains them and takes them to Marseilles and they are at first unaware that this is not an official government sanctioned mission.

This is a revenge thriller with a black lead. Dee Williams is suave and smooth, cunning and resourceful. He uses devious tricks to recruit his team. Pryor has a straight role as Mike Wilmer, a welder whose wife was killed.

The film was influenced by The French Connection but also has elements of The Dirty Dozen. The finale reminded me of The Godfather. This was released by Paramount Pictures and at one point, a victim of a hit is in the cinema watching the French version of The Godfather.

Sidney J Furie directs without much panache although there are a few good setpieces. It is at times illogical and overlong. The film could easily had been 30 minutes shorter.

John Alonzo lends some distinctive cinematography and gives the film some style. Hit! has become an obscure film but it does have a good performance from Pryor who apparently ad libbed some of his lines. It also is an important movie in 1970s black cinema because it was not a blaxploitation movie but a revenge movie with two black actors.

When someone very close to him dies of a heroine overdose Nick Allen (Billy Dee Williams) seeks to make someone pay. His first stop was the street dealer that sold the drugs. While practicing his jabs and hooks on the drug dealer's face he had an epiphany: why not go to the source. Of course, that's not easy, so he had to put together a great plan and a team. The team was less than great, but it was all he could muster. Their destination: Marseilles, France.

The movie was a stretch but it was good at times. I liked the idea of the movie I just didn't like the execution. Assembling a group of very reluctant participants isn't the best way to assassinate big time drug dealers. But, that was the story line we were given and that's the route Nick took.

I have to say, that image of a tailored Billy Dee Williams holding a rocket launcher is a beautiful sight; but blaxploitation this is not.

"Hit!" plays like a straightforward drama and its star, much closer to Bronson or Eastwood, brings the intensity as a grieving father whose daughter just O.D.'d. the movie has its eye on commentary as Williams and his DIY strike team take the drug war to the kingpins at the top.

There are lighter moments - like the McDonald's product placement and Richard Pryor ad-libbing his end of the dialogue - and the pacing isn't perfect, but this is a pleasant surprise.

I knew I'd like this, but for different reasons altogether.

7/10

Good cast, good acting and an interesting story. Just poorly written script. I'm an older white guy that loves the genera of street crime stories... Enjoy the show !