The Hit (1984 film)

The Hit
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Stephen Frears
Written by	Peter Prince
Produced by	Jeremy Thomas
Starring	John Hurt Tim Roth Laura del Sol Terence Stamp
Cinematography
Edited by	Mick Audsley
Music by	Paco de Lucía Title theme: Roger Waters Eric Clapton
Production companies	Recorded Picture Company Zenith Productions Central Productions
Distributed by	Palace Pictures
Release dates	12 September 1984 (1984-09-12) (Toronto) 8 March 1985 (1985-03-08) (United States)
Running time	98 minutes[1]
Country	United Kingdom
Languages	English Spanish
Box office	$876,775[2]

The Hit is a 1984 British road crime film directed by Stephen Frears and starring John Hurt, Terence Stamp, Laura del Sol and Tim Roth. It was Stamp's first starring role in over a decade and Roth won an Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Newcomer. The title music is provided by Eric Clapton and Roger Waters.^[3] Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia performed the soundtrack music. The film was released by The Criterion Collection on DVD in April 2009 and on Blu-ray in October 2020.

Plot[]

London gangster Willie Parker gives evidence against his criminal compatriots in return for a very generous offer from the police.

Ten years later, Parker is living in comfortable retirement in Spain. Four Spanish youths kidnap him and deliver him to British hit man Braddock and his sidekick Myron, hired by the kingpin that Parker helped put away. In the course of the kidnapping the youths run down a Spanish policeman who has been assigned to guard Parker. Three of the youths are then killed by a bomb in a briefcase, which they believe to contain their pay-off, handed to them by Braddock.

Braddock is a world-weary professional killer while Myron is his perky but volatile young apprentice. Parker quickly adopts a carefree demeanour, later explaining that he's had ten years to accept death as a simple part of life.

Braddock, who has the key to an apartment in Madrid where the owner is away, orders Myron to drive there but when the three walk in they find the place occupied by an acquaintance of the owner. He is Harry, a middle-aged Australian with a young apparently non-English speaking Spanish girlfriend Maggie, who comes home as they are talking. Parker mischievously announces his identity to them, causing Braddock to take the girl with them as insurance. Harry gives them the keys to the owner's white Mercedes which is brought to the underground garage where the group leave their previous car. As they are about to start Parker makes a comment that causes Braddock to doubt that Harry will keep quiet and he goes back up to the flat and kills him.

The group head toward the French border intending to reach Paris, where the kingpin against whom Parker testified is apparently awaiting their arrival. All the while, Parker sows seeds of discord between the two hit men. The Spanish police, led by senior inspector, follow quite closely the trail of bodies.

Stopping at a roadside bar to buy beers, Myron is laughed at by four youths, so he attacks them and then runs for the car. Myron has developed sympathy for Maggie and feels protective of her. Braddock himself has a confrontation with her when they are alone in which she reveals she understands English and also bites his hand, drawing blood, from which he appears to derive some form of masochistic or self-penitential gratification.

Braddock drives up a track leading to a wood by a river where they can rest up. Leaving Myron with Parker he takes Maggie with him to get petrol for the car. Maggie tries to alert the station attendant to her plight, allowing in Braddock to kill the young man. Braddock chases after the girl but is unable or unwilling to shoot her. They return to find Myron has fallen asleep and allowed Parker to slip away. Braddock finds him gazing at a waterfall and confronts him about his lack of concern over his impending death. Parker reminds Braddock that death is inevitable for all and quotes John Donne's poem "Death Be Not Proud".

The next day, with ten miles to the border, Braddock stops the car at an isolated hillside and announces that he's scrapped the plans to go to Paris. He relieves Myron of his gun and flings it into the scrub. Suddenly afraid, Parker insists that he can't die until he gets to Paris. Braddock shoots him in the back as he flees. He then turns the pistol on Myron and kills him. Maggie surprises him and they wrestle violently. During the struggle, Braddock fires the last shot into the air and knocks Maggie unconscious. He leaves her alive and drives to a secluded spot where he changes into hiking clothes and walks off through the forest.

The police find Maggie and the two bodies. As Braddock attempts to cross the border on foot, Maggie identifies him to the police, who shoot him dead as he tries to escape. The police attempt to question the dying Braddock but he only winks at Maggie before he dies.

Cast[]

• Terence Stamp as Willie Parker
• John Hurt as Mitchell Braddock
• Tim Roth as Myron
• Laura del Sol as Maggie
• Bill Hunter as Harry
• Fernando Rey as Senior Policeman
• Lennie Peters as Mr Corrigan
• Willoughby Gray as Judge
• Jim Broadbent as Barrister

Reception[]

At review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film is certified "fresh" with an overall approval rating of 88% from 16 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10.^[4] On Metacritic, The Hit has a rank of 75 out of a 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[5] Wes Anderson ranked it the fifth best British film.^[6] Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote about the actors: "These guys don't have to use guns. All they have to do is open their mouths and bore each other to death".^[7]

References[]

External links[]

• The Hit at IMDb
• The Hit at AllMovie
• Chef du Cinema: The Hit an essay by Ron Deutsch at the Criterion Collection