The Hit List

Though it doesn't show up right away, there's at least one staggeringly huge problem with this movie that readily diminishes it. One doesn't even have to watch to guess what it is; any time A Man and A Woman appear together on-screen, of course there must be romantic involvement, no matter how contrived it is. Beyond this, the first act is well executed but not especially remarkable as we're treated to well-trodden exposition and the first glimmers of plot - though one might wonder why a professional assassin doesn't try to keep more of a low profile (a fancy car, a huge condo, not really keeping up appearances in specific social settings). Heading into the second act the narrative opens up a bit more, but I can't help but think the film bit off more than it could chew. The latest assignment of our assassin protagonist gets more and more complicated; the investigation of law enforcement makes more and more complex connections; the "You've Got To Be Kidding Me" romance continues apace. Yet as it progresses 'The hit list' is decidedly unbothered about any of it, and struggles to make all these threads feel like they're being fully and appropriately addressed in turn, or entirely cohesive.

I think this is modestly enjoyable, though it's also cemented rather quickly that this is nothing special, and troubled in some ways. I like Rick Conrad's original music, though as it presents it's a little all over the map, and the specific employment of some themes are a tad out of place. Stunts, bursts of violence, and effects are done well, but are kind of sprinkled piecemeal through most of the runtime as the low-key thriller story, that's not wholly convincing, is emphasized instead. I do like that story in and of itself; however, the fact remains that it's twisted into a shape here that just feels off all around. I like the cast - not to count out anyone else, but I'm especially fond of Yancy Butler and James Coburn - yet I don't think their skills are put to the best use. And so it goes on down the line: all the right elements are here for a compelling, satisfying thriller, but none of it comes together in a way that would actually meet those ends.

Phrases keep circling in my mind like "functionally competent," paired with something along the lines of "meaningfully empty" or "substantively deficient." This applies to too many aspects of the feature, including not least Reed Steiner's writing. The cops leading the investigation go far, far outside the bounds of legality (points for realism?), but somehow we're expected to cheer them on. Plot development feels heavy-handed - not by way of being forced upon us, or bluntly dispensed, but rather in that it comes at us in a thick, tangled wave of silly string and molasses that we have to take all at once or not at all. With this in mind, it's no wonder that the scene writing and narrative struggle to achieve an earnest sense of unity of vision, basic structural integrity, or any real potency, even at the climax. 'The hit list' tries to be very nuaced and clever in its storytelling, but is ineffective in that aim, with the result of instead feeling both overfull and scattered as it presents. William Webb's direction seems similarly weak, with scenes often coming off as a little lethargic, or altogether lacking the vibrancy that would make count. Between these shortcomings of writing and direction the acting suffers in kind, mostly feeling rather uneven - and unfortunately no one is impacted more than Jeff Fahey, starring as our hitman protagonist.

I don't think this film is outright bad. There are good ideas here, and each constituent element represents possible strength to draw upon. The plot gets lost in its own ambition, however, and at no time can 'The hit list' strike a chord to make any of its content truly count. An unremarkable first acts leads into an overbearing second, and the third just can't pick up the pieces. I want to say that I like this more than I do, but when all is said and done it just can't make much of an impression. There are still worse movies you could watch, certainly, and this is maybe most recommendable for those who are major fans of someone involved. In light of all the other pictures you could spend time with, however, this isn't a hit and it just doesn't need to be on your list.

Fahey is good here actually...the story's ok enough, its got all the classic ingredients of a solid film noir--its got a potential femme fatale, its got a decent enough boss character played by a great veteran actor (in this case James Coburn), its got a hero who is talked into murdering a guy who's giving a woman a lot of trouble....I just 100% described "Double Indemnity" which this movie is nowhere near the quality of...but for once its not the screenplay's fault so much as it is the pacing of the film...it is sloooow moving from plot point to plot point. Slow and rather somber too. A movie like this, i'm not asking for it to be funny but a couple of wry tossed off one liners here or there would've been very effective. Instead we get a lot of Fahey grimacing over him violating his own code. (Hmmm an assassin with his own moral code...where have i seen that before???) That said, its not terrible, if you stumble across it as I did, its worth a look if only for Fahey's very solid performance. (Coburn is good in his handful of scenes too, but unfortunately he's not really given much to do beyond look concerned and issue some ominous warnings about Fahey getting too close) Again its not a terrible movie, but its just too slowly paced for its own good. (I did like the jazz score to it tho, those opening credits are very engaging and seem to promise a better movie largely due to that score)

Like I said, this is quite a trashy movie. I didn't realize that it had been on TV until I checked this web site recently. Anyway, I saw the movie on video; so I'm sure that it was edited severely before it hit TV. There is a topless breast shot in the first ten seconds. As far as what that says for the rest of the movie, do your own math. Even though I am a huge fan of Yancy Butler, this movie just didn't do it for me. And that's saying something because I'm an open minded person who's willing to give anything a chance. (See my comments on the police action thriller "Jailbait".) There is a funny scene where Jeff Fahey and Yancy Butler are making out, and her hair gets in his mouth. (As you can tell, I find just about anything humorous.) Now that James Coburn has won an Oscar, he is probably trying to erase all connections between himself and this movie.

Jeff Fahey (Psycho III, The Lawnmower Man) stars as Charles Pike, a professional hitman. His boss, Mayhew (James Coburn), puts him in contact with Jordan Henning (Yancy Butlerz), an old family friend. Pike wants out of the game, but he agrees to speak with Mrs. Henning. It turns out her husband was murdered and she wants revenge.

Pike carries out the hit on the man thought to be responsible for the death of Mrs. Henning's husband. They begin an affair. Soon Pike is questioning what's really going on. Has he been played? People have been following both Pike and Mrs. Henning. Does someone want to eliminate both of them?

I typically enjoy Jeff Fahey, but I did find The Hit List to start losing steam after about an hour in. It was an okay watch, but I don't think that I would watch it again.

Charlie Pike is an ex-Government agent turned contract killer. He kills on behalf of lawyer Peter Mahew who is part of a committee of lawyers who hand out their own version of justice. Pike takes a job from Mahew to help out a family friend, the beautiful Jordan. However when Pike completes the contract he falls for Jordan, a situation that leads him into a double crossing situation where deception leads to murder.

When the wonderfully creative people in the TVM business sit down to really push the envelope on a project they really go for it. Imagine the planning meeting for this! `hey, lets make a thriller about a hitman who is ruthless, but really a good guy who is sensitive and listens to classical music', `yeah – and lets have him be kind but tough – and trying to get out of the business except this one last job'. After that how else can they make it really stand out – well lets shoot it all in blues and shadow of TVM noir and have the usual jazz soundtrack to add `atmosphere' and `mood'.

Nothing in the plot or film really manages to be different from any other TVM you'd see and it fails to engage simply for this reason. On top of the cliché ridden film we have an obvious bit of casting with Fahey and Butler (neither strangers to this tvm stuff). The only surprise was Coburn who I imagine has let stuff like this slip off his CV since he got his Oscar.

Overall this is so very predictable and clichéd that it really fails to inspire even a little bit of interest. We have every staple of the thriller/noir TVM – soft porn, jazz music, unimaginative direction – it's all here. It's not a bad film, just a very flat one that has all the appeal of a mass produced industrial production when compared to something clever or inspired.