Hit! Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Hit! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 9, 2023

Sidney J. Furie's "Hit" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental feature on the release include new program with Billy Dee Williams; new program with Paul Hampton; new audio commentary by Sidney J. Furie and Daniel Kremer; vintage promotional materials for the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Look here, homey, this is as good as mother's love.

Without William Friedkin’s The French Connection Sidney J. Furie’s Hit! would not exist. The thread that connects these films is so obvious it would be beyond foolish to argue that it is not so. Two years after Friedkin’s The French Connection was released, Furie would have directed a completely different film. It could have been a crime film again, but it would not have been like Hit!.

The always active speculator in me is convinced that Furie was fully aware of the risks associated with a mainstream film that would mimic The French Connection, which is why Hit! was carefully embellished to acquire a different genre identity. This is what makes it an interesting film. It is modeled after The French Connection but it is essentially an experimental project that blends contrasting material from several genres. For example, a good portion of it easily could have been used in a classic blaxploitation thriller about hardworking drug dealers and tough cops trying to bust them. Another portion could have been the centerpiece of a very dark comedy about senior citizens making ends meet as professional hitmen. (Larry Yust made a film about a gang of loopy senior citizens-turned-unprofessional hitmen a year after Furie’s Hit! was released. It is called Homebodies). Another portion of it could have been perfect in a mainstream European crime thriller about European mafiosi and their partners in America. (Henri Verneuil’s The Sicilian Clan is a lavish variation on this theme). And another, much smaller, portion of it could have been placed in a realistic drama about drug addicts that have fallen into the abyss of self-destruction. (Jerry Schatzberg’s The Panic in Needle Park visits this dark and most disturbing place).

The cast that was assembled makes it even easier to speculate that Furie intended to deliver precisely that kind of diverse cinematic mosaic. Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor are positioned against Janet Brandt and Sid Melton and together they push Hit! in completely different directions. Warren J. Kemmerling and Gwen Wells do the same. The French cast works hard to give Hit! a European identity as well. In more than two-thirds of Hit!, the competition to establish the proper direction for it is far more interesting than the minor triumphs and failures of the main characters.

The competition begins after a drug dealer sells a bag of poisonous heroin to a young man who injects it into his girlfriend and she dies. The father of the victim, an overworked cop (Williams), catches the drug dealer but quickly realizes that he is just a puppet trying to make ends meet and instead vows to destroy his masters. It turns out that they are on the other side of the Atlantic, in Marseille, so he organizes a small group of executioners who have also been permanently scarred by the masters to help him accomplish his goal. However, because the cop lies to them that Uncle Sam has blessed the operation and later accidentally reveals that he has been improvising entirely on his own, their willingness to follow him is put to the test.

Furie’s direction is predictably solid but his management of the competition is mostly underwhelming. Indeed, while the period footage from America and France looks wonderful, the transitions between the contrasting material do a lot of damage to the authenticity of the operation. For example, the different phases of the operation look like audition pieces rather than natural developments, so the diverse attitudes that are displayed in them frequently feel off. Also, the action has a comedic flavor that almost succeeds in convincing that Hit! was conceived as a mockery of The French Connection.

Hit! was lensed by Oscar-winning cinematographer John Alonzo, whose credits include such cult and classic films as Vanishing Point, Chinatown, Black Sunday, and Scarface.

Hit! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Hit! arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

In the United States, Hit! made its high-definition debut a little over a decade ago with this release from Olive Films, which was sourced from a 2K master that was supplied b Paramount Pictures. This release is sourced from the same master.

Even though there are a few spots here and there that could look a bit rough, the master is good. In fact, I think that the majority of it can be described as very good. Delineation, clarity, and depth are always pleasing, but there are small density fluctuations that produce minor unevenness. There are absolutely no traces of problematic digital corrections, so this is the main reason all visuals have a nice organic appearance. A few simply look a bit dated. Color balance is convincing. However, this is an area where meaningful improvements can be made to optimize saturation levels and bring primaries and supporting nuances closer to where ideally they need to be. Image stability is good. I noticed a few blemishes and dark spots, but there are no large cuts, warped or torn frames to report. There is room for small but meaningful encoding optimizations. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Hit! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it. Optional English subtitles are provided for the French dialog as well.

There is room for minor cosmetic improvements. In a few areas, the audio feels a bit uneven, though it is not clarity that is affected but dynamic stability. The upper register is healthy. There are no distracting pops, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in our review.

Hit! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Hit Up the Black Gable!" - in this new audio intervew, Billy Dee Williams explains why he thinks that Sidney J. Furie is a very unique director, and recalls how he became involved with Hit! and the type of work he was trying to do at the time. Also, Williams reveals that he did not like Richard Pryor and did not think that he should be in Hit!. The interview was conducted over the phone by critic Daniel Kremer. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• "That Old Oklahoma Know-How" - Part Two - in this program, producer Gray Frederickson discusses the production of Hit!. Part One of this program is included on the Blu-ray release of Little Fauss and Big Halsy. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• "The Work" - in this new program, actor Paul Hampton, who plays the character of Barry Strong in Hit!, recalls what it was like working with Sidney J. Furie and explains why his films are special. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• "Flesh & Furie: The Space Between Us" - this new video essay was prepared by film historian/filmmaker Howard S. Berger and David Nicholson-Fajaro. In English, not subtitled. (48 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Sidney J. Furie and critic Daniel Kramer.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for Hit!. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Radio Ad - presented here is a vintage U.S. radio ad for Hit!. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Booklet - 60-page illustrated booklet with multiple essays on the cinematic legacy of Sidney J. Furie.

Hit! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Several good character actors pull Hit! in opposite directions and it appears that this was done intentionally to downplay the significance of its undeniable relationship to The French Connection. This makes Hit! an interesting experimental film but an underwhelming crime film. I am convinced Billy Dee Williams quickly figured out that Hit! would turn out to be precisely that kind of film, which is why he did not think that Richard Pryor was right for it. However, like virtually all American films from the 1970s, Hit! still offers plenty of quality entertainment and terrific authentic footage. This release is included in Directed By Sidney J. Furie, a five-disc box set, which is Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.