The Last Hit

The lead role created by the actor (Lou Pappas) is a conundrum. A ruthless hit man that you really care about. This film was created on a budget but despite having excitement and being a bit scary (hunted by ruthless killers?) is also has a lot of dark comedy.

The humor is perfect as it keeps the film from being bleak. An aging hit man whose trademark, last shot is exactly as how the bullet entered JFK's head. While nothing would ever make me think that is funny, what is is his nickname. His name is Mr. Knowles, and they call him 'Grassy'. One line in the film says, 'does he deal drugs?' 'no, don't you get it, Grassy Knowles, he's the guy that killed Kennedy".

Something very likable about this film. While it's not on the level of Chaz Palmerri's Bronz Tale (the best of the best) it is clearly a similar feel. A guy writes a play, finds people to produce it and is cast in the lead. I wish them all the best.

So here's the fluke part. I tried to see a 1993 Bryan Brown film with this same title and thought I'd found it on a streaming site (rhymes with boobie). IMDb sent me there; the box art was for that one. But when it began, Bryan was unrecognizable. Good reason. It was an unknown (to me) star and cast in a different, completely unrelated deployment of the title. I decided to go with the mistake and wound up glad that I did.

Absolutely nothing special about any of the leads, or the premise. Hit man balks at fulfilling a contract to make a teenage girl as dead as a Monty Python parrot, putting them both on the run from the thug what wanted her whacked and the legion of minions he could dispatch to do the dispatching. And what a colorful lot they be! It's the oddball array of hitters who make this work as a shoestring-budget dark comedy, enhanced by a couple of truly clever twists in an otherwise boilerplate script. Expect a touch of Leon the Professional with a faint whiff of Smokin' Aces on Quaaludes.

Sometimes it pays to roll the cinematic dice.

I have watched the movie a couple of times. I noticed that one scene in an earlier version was a little weak. This was corrected in a later version. It's a shoot'em up with a subtle comedy that makes for a very enjoyable movie to watch. The lead actor was excellent in his portrayal of The Hit Man. You could feel his emotions through out the movie. The young girl did a fine job in her portrayal which had you wondering at certain times, where was this movie headed. While the bad guys were, can we say rather clumsy, they were still interesting characters. And the older gentleman is definitely someone to watch out for if you are out to rob someone :-) A surprising twist at the end. I would highly recommend it!