Hit! (1973)

Lack of good storyline.

just watch it!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

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

***SPOILERS*** Overlong and somewhat boring movie that takes forever to get to the point or "Hit" about this disgruntled US Government Agent Nick Allen who's out to terminate the Marselle Franch drug cartel who's responsible for his 15 year old daughter Jennie's drug overdose. That's when her drug dealing boyfriend slipped her a sample to snort on while driving her home from school. Taking a 30 day forced vacation Nick assembled a group of former victims of drug abuse and whipped them into shape in his plan to wipe out the cartel that was, as it seemed, to be protected by the both local Marselle police as well as the US Government agency that Nick works for.The movie go one for some two hours in Nick planning his "Hit" on the Marselle cartel at this out of the way and deserted fishing village outside Seattle Washington before he and the team embarks to France to get the job or "Hit" done. At one point Nick's squad of hit-men and women backed off on his plan feeling that it was too dangerous and mindless to carry out. That's until he had one of his team members former or recovering junkie Sherry Nielson who was hooked on heroin go cold turkey, by not giving her her daily fix, and about to kick off. That in preventing Sherrie from dying before their eyes had Nick's team change their minds and go along with him to sail, with him at the wheel, to Marselle and massacre the French cartel as well as it's enablers!****SPOILERS**** It's when the "Hit" finally came into execution in the last 15 or so minutes of the movie we the audience finely got its monies worth with Nick & Co. doing their thing on the bad guys all over the city in a number of bloody rub-outs that shook up the local police who for years were unable, because of the law as well as pay-offs by the cartel, to get the job or "Hit" job done.. As for Nick he was given immunity from prosecution by his boss by keeping his mouth shut, in that he was a Government Agent, in not embarrassing the local police authorities in him or the US Government, who really had nothing at all to do with it, having done the job that they were unable or not willing to do.

"Hit" is an interesting revenge on Marseilles drug kingpins film, that one can't help comparing to "French Connection 2". I found "Hit" to be the better film. It does require some patience though to sit through the entirely too long buildup to the all to brief, violent conclusion. Of course the whole recruiting of the "magnificent seven assassins" is improbable, but Williams laconic charm holds things together. If perhaps 30 minutes wound up on the cutting room floor, the movie definitely would have benefited. While the payoff may not quite live up to expectations, there are moments of clever violence, and the cast is likable, especially Richard Pryor's character, and the pair of "senior citizen killers". - MERK

Billy Dee's Daughter dies in heroin overdose. While beating the hell out of the dealer, he realizes that killing him won't solve the problem so he sets his sights high... At the top of the food chain.This film runs at about 2 1/2 hours and final "Hits" take about ten minutes, so the rest of the film is setup and much of that is implausible and unfortunately very slow to develop. Billy Dee Williams however was an electric presence, very hard to take your eyes off of while on screen. A very menacing cool. Richard Pryor... What can you say, the man is an artist. While watching the film you know he was given one line and the rest he made happen with his own special magic. Just watching the guy is enough to make you laugh.You would have expected more from the director of 'Lady Sings the Blues', but it was stellar considering the same gentleman also directed 'Superman IV'