The Big Hit Review
by Craig Roush (kinnopio AT execpc DOT com)May 3rd, 1998
THE BIG HIT
Release Date: April 24, 1998
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christina Applegate, Avery Brooks, Bokeem Woodbine, Lela Rochon, China Chow, Antonio Sabato Jr.
Directed by: Kirk Wong
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Entertainment / TriStar Pictures MPAA Rating: R (violence, pervasive language, some sexuality) URL: http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio/reviews/1998/bighit.htm
John Woo, who is credited with plenty of action films in his twenty-five years in the motion picture industry, has a certain style of filmmaking that no matter how intense the direction is, it cannot be escaped. Similar to The Replacement Killers, another John Woo-produced/somebody else-directed action film (surprisingly about another hit man with a conscience), The Big Hit has an intensity and an off-the-cuff feel that reeks of John Woo. While this in itself is no problem, Director Kirk Wong feels the need to fight this Woo-ness, and instead of succumbing to the style of that particular filmmaker he tries to stretch his product into something else. Needless to say, that something else isn't as good.
The closest comparison to that something else is 1997's Grosse Pointe Blank (yet another hit man with a conscience), but that outstandingly comical film had a far more grown-up feel to it. Similarly, John Woo's most enjoyable films (Broken Arrow and Face/Off) retained a certain amount of maturity no matter what the tempo was. However, The Big Hit extends itself far beyond any barriers and is content to give the viewer some shoot-'em-up silliness. One of the running jokes in the movie is that the main character has an overdue rental of King Kong Lives, and even as buildings are exploding around him he risks life and limb to save the tape.
The main character is Melvin Smiley (Mark Wahlberg), whose role is as unlikely as his name. A hit man who can't stand the idea of anyone not liking him, he falls prey to his girlfriend's and his fianceé's requests for money. And of course, as a very good hit man, he's got lots of money to give. So even though he makes thousands, he's close to broke, and to remedy his situation he goes on a rogue assignment with fellow hit men Cisco (Lou Diamond Phillips) and Crunch (Bokeem Woobine). Unfortunately, the kidnappee (China Chow) for this particular job is the goddaughter of Paris (Avery Brooks), Melvin's boss. Infuriated at the transgression, Paris calls in Cisco to question him of his knowledge of the job, and in looking for the easy way out, Cisco pins it on Melvin.
None of the actors are particularly outstanding, save the possibilities of the bossy Phillips (Courage Under Fire) and the sensual Chow. Avery Brooks, whose role on TV's Deep Space Nine usually gives him quite a lot of gravity, is pawned off as a tightly wound lunatic who kills at will. The hangdog likes of Mark Wahlberg (Boogie Nights) can't sustain their novelty, and soon his acting is just as bad as the pacing. The movie's only high points are the take-no-prisoners action sequence at the beginning, and then the extended explosiveness of the finale. Other than that, the dry humor and the general wasted feel of the movie doesn't lend itself to anything great. Worth a look, but perhaps not for all types.
FINAL AWARD FOR "THE BIG HIT": 2.0 stars - a fair movie.
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Craig Roush
[email protected]
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Kinnopio's Movie Reviews
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