This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Dekker (Forest Whitaker) is a professional killer. Now, on the eve of his retirement, he is hired to kill a young wife (Sherilyn Fenn) and her baby. If he finishes the job, Dekker retires as a rich man; if he doesn’t, he’s a dead one.

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[youtube https://youtu.be/l1PXBES-HHw?t=2129]

Video Quality

Diary Of A Hitman debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 which appears to stem from a passable older master from MGM. This is a title that could use a major refresh, but what we are working with at least avoids egregious signs of damage and digital tinkering. There is a fairly consistent speckling of nicks and scratches which does not disrupt the viewing experience too much. The transfer looks a bit soft and undefined when it comes to detail for the majority of the runtime with only close-up shots making more of an impression. The picture has not been scrubbed of its natural film grain, but there are some obvious density fluctuations at play.

Colors are decently saturated with some vibrancy to them in the production design and some of the lighting choices. Black levels are okay when it comes to depth, even if a few moments struggle with depth and delineation. Highlights could be better contained, as a few key moments start to bloom in brighter conditions. Compression artifacts and other digital anomalies are not a major occurrence, but they pop up a few times. It is good that MGM finally put this one out in high definition, but a new scan and a bit of cleanup would have been preferable.

Audio Quality

MGM brings us this new Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix that accomplishes what is asked of it, but could likewise be a bit more finessed. Dialogue holds up favorably, coming through clearly without being overshadowed by the score or noises of the city. Only a handful of lines teeter on the edge of distortion. Environmental effects are not implemented in a bombastic manner, but they mostly stay defined within the channels. The sounds of strip clubs and kinetic moments add some heft to the mix. The score establishes the reflective mood of this journey, and it is pretty strong when it comes to fidelity. There are a few signs of age-related weaknesses, but MGM has mostly treated this one okay. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

There are no special features provided on the disc.

Final Thoughts

Diary Of A Hitman is a movie that feels steeped in ‘90s indie filmmaking sensibilities. The voiceover narration and weary worldview is reminiscent of classic film noir, yet subverted in a way that feels familiar to this period in time. Forest Whitaker is the reason to seek this one out as he put his spin on the reserved, somewhat sensitive killer in a way he would perfect in future roles. The narrative is a bit stale and some of the ensemble struggles to bring authenticity to their roles, leaving this to be a bit of a slog at points. This movie is nowhere near as cool as it wants to be. MGM has brought this film to Blu-Ray with a lacking A/V presentation and nothing in the way of special features. This one is recommended for the hardcore neo-noir fans or Forest Whitaker enthusiasts.

Diary Of A Hitman can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: MGM has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.