Stephen Frears’ The Hit is a British gangster film that stands apart from others. Although films such as Get Carter or The Long Good Friday occupy a lot of the real estate in this genre, The Hit stands apart through its more philosophical and thoughtful examination of its characters. There are moments of standout violence in the film, but the inclusion seems almost superfluous when viewed in the larger context of the narrative. The film instead uses its intimate dialogue and strong character interactions to provide moments as thrilling as any shootout. Frears expertly takes the standard gangster narrative and adapts it into a road movie filled with careful plotting that disregards any perceived rules of the genre. While there have been many films that have broken with convention since, many of them owe a great deal to the unique storytelling in The Hit.

We first meet our protagonist Willie Parker (Terence Stamp) as he is squealing on his former criminal associates in exchange for saving his own skin. Willie’s loyalty is an aspect of his character that he is interested in preserving as long as it will personally benefit him. The men he is putting behind bars are understandably not thrilled about being given up by an associate, but, instead of hurling threats at him, they ominously sing the old wartime song “We’ll Meet Again” as the trial concludes. Willie may be free from custody, but this level of disloyalty has a way of coming back to haunt you. We catch up with Willie a decade later living a quiet life in Southern Spain. Much like the film itself, Willie is a bit atypical in comparison to the standard gangster subject. He is an extremely erudite and calculating individual, even maintaining his composure when his past catches up to him and he is kidnapped and delivered to two British hitmen with differing demeanors. Myron (Tim Roth) is the fresh faced rookie who is keyed up and obvious in his inexperience in the field. Braddock (John Hurt), on the other hand, maintains a steely demeanor and no-nonsense attitude that reveals more than words ever could.

The plan is to get Willie to Paris to face his comeuppance, but first the trio must cross the vastness of Spain which allows time for Willie to make a case as a master of mind games. Stamp is absolutely incredible in this role as he uses stillness as a weapon. Willie is downright jovial as he is ushered to his demise, which unnerves his captors to differing outward results. The cracks first start as the hitmen start to worry that the kidnapping of Willie may have not went as smoothly as they thought. They are professionals, and they are supposed to be in and out without a trace. Willie plants the idea in Braddock’s head that Myron might be a bit too unreliable in his inexperience to properly carry out the job cleanly. At the same time, he is whispering to Myron that Braddock may be losing his touch and will be unwilling to to finish what they started. This is compounded when they take on another unexpected detainee, Maggie (Laura del Sol) a young Spanish woman who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Braddock is already becoming a bit more reckless and paranoid than he ever has previously; he is leaving a trail of destruction that is leading right to them. Yet, he allows Maggie to live when it would be much easier to dispatch with her. Hurt anchors this movie with his transition from stone cold badass to a man unnerved by Willie’s carefree attitude. He can not truly be so cavalier about his impending demise, can he? That is something that remains a mystery until the end, at which point the audience is rewarded with for their patience. The film functions as a prolonged game of cat-and-mouse in which every character has moments to shine. Although Willie is the heart of the whole situation, Stamp often takes a step back to allow Roth and Hurt, and even del Sol, to shine a light on what their characters are experiencing in the moment. This film serves as the first major film role for Roth, and he makes a mighty impression that reveals shades of what was to come later in his works with auteurs such as Quentin Tarantino. All of these moments build up to a finale that is memorable in the way that it is not flashy. It packs a punch that puts a bow on the intensity of everything that has come prior.

The Hit is the type of artistic endeavor that should please the arthouse crowd with its contemplative ferocity and unconventional story choices. At the same time, those with more mainstream tastes will not be alienated, as the film fully delivers as a gangster flick with moments of violence and double crosses that you expect from the genre. At just a touch over ninety minutes, director Stephen Frears and editor Mick Audsley shaped something that is nothing but the good parts of the story. This film is a technical dream with thrilling tracking shots and wide angle lenses that conveys mood and tone through place. Guitar god Eric Clapton composed some amazing new pieces for the film alongside guitar virtuoso Paco de Lucia. Every aspect of the film is just so well done that you are left marveling at the results. The Hit remains a high point eighties British cinema, and you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Video Quality

The Hit comes to Blu-Ray with a new digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1 derived from a 2K scan of a 35mm interpositive. The presentation is simply gorgeous throughout most of the runtime, providing a huge step up from the ancient DVD. Instances of print damage have all but been eradicated, and overall clarity and detail is stunning. This transfer maintains the natural film grain of the presentation. The picture can run a bit soft in long shots, but colors are well saturated in a visually splendid way. Skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels hold up well with very little in the way of crush. This new presentation is very impressive on all levels, which should please fans of the film.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a remastered LPCM 1.0 monoaural track that perfectly preserves the artistic intention of the film. The memorable flamenco score from Paco de Lucia sounds great throughout the duration of the film, as it creates a sparse, menacing tone for the film. There is never a moment where it threatens to overwhelm competing sounds, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. Environmental sounds such as the stillness of the wind are rendered well alongside everything else. There does not seem to be any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. The Criterion Collection has given this film the perfectly preserved, faithful audio presentation it deserves.

Special Features

The Criterion Blu-Ray of The Hit includes a multi-page fold out booklet featuring the essay “Road To Nowhere” by film critic Graham Fuller. The essay provides a great amount of cinematic context to the film, analyzes plot points in-depth and gives some background on Frear’s career. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Commentary: Director Stephen Frears, actors John Hurt and Tim Roth, screenwriter Peter Prince and editor Mick Audsley provide a highly informative track mostly separate from one another. The participants discuss the distinct music in the film, how the film was shaped to focus on Braddock, cameos in the film, the distinct acting challenges of the characters, off-set anecdotes and more. This track is stuffed with interesting stories that really enhance your appreciation of the film.

Parkinson One-To-One – Terence Stamp: A full 37-minute episode of the Michael Parkinson-hosted talk-show from 1988 in which Stamp discusses writing his autobiography, working with Brando on Superman, how he ended up working with Fellini and more. This is incredibly informative and fascinating in how much it differs from modern American talk shows. Stamp actually takes a meaningful pause to contemplate his answers before blurting out something, which helps greatly.

Trailer: This three-minute trailer shows a lot of the standout moments from the film, but still manages to not ruin it by revealing too much. You also get a sense of how much of an improvement this restoration is compared to the old master.

Final Thoughts

The Hit is a wonderfully entertaining and engaging crime film that introduces layered characters that are fascinating to track. The level of acting talent in this one film is simply insane, and no one drops the ball in any respect. The Criterion Collection has provided a new Blu-Ray with a stellar A/V presentation and some solid special features. If you are a fan of British crime film or thought-provoking thrillers in the slightest, you owe it to yourself to check this one out sooner rather than later. Highly Recommended

The Hit is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

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

Disclaimer: The Criterion Collection 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.