Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Hit Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 13, 2020

Stephen Frears' "The Hit" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer; archival interview with Terence Stamp; and archival audio commentary with director Stephen Frears, writer Peter Prince, actors Tim Roth and John Hurt, and film editor Mick Audsley. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic Graham Fuller as well as technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Terence Stamp is Willie Parker, an ex-gangster who has ratted out some of his former associates and is now living under a different name in rural Spain. He is single but is never alone -- a handsome Spanish bodyguard follows him everywhere he goes.

Two British hitmen, one old the other young, arrive in Spain looking for the "grass". The older one, Braddock (John Hurt, The Elephant Man), rarely speaks. The younger one, Myron (Tim Roth, Rob Roy), can’t stop talking. He also likes to play with his gun.

Braddock and Myron hire a couple of Spanish goons who quickly track down Willie and kill his bodyguard. When they deliver Willie to them, they give them a nice black case with a ticking bomb. Braddock then informs Willie that they will be traveling to Paris to meet their boss, who can’t wait to put a bullet in Willie’s head.

On the way to Paris the travelers stop in Madrid to exchange cars and relax for a day in the luxurious apartment of a well-known British playboy. There they discover that a kooky Australian guy named Harry (Bill Hunter, Backroads) and his suspiciously younger mistress Maggie (Laura del Sol, Carmen), who knows only a couple of English words, are already using the apartment. Braddock kills Harry, even though he tries to convince him that years ago they were good friends, but decides to take Maggie to Paris. The horny Myron likes the idea.

Deep inside the Spanish countryside, Braddock kills a gas station attendant, Myron confronts a group of local drunks, Maggie bites Braddock’s hand, and Willie announces that he isn’t afraid to die. Meanwhile, a veteran Spanish detective (Fernando Rey, That Obscure Object of Desire) and his men begin tracking down the travellers.

This little seen film directed by Stephen Frears is quite unpredictable. It has the right attitude for a gangster film but is unusually moody. Its protagonists also have so little in common -- even the two hitmen who arrive in Spain looking for their man -- that it is difficult to believe that they can actually meet and manage to stay together for more than a couple of minutes.

The evolution of the relationships between these people, however, is of little importance. Large parts of the film feel as if they were shot to compete with the most breathtakingly beautiful sequences in Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas. The footage from the second half, in particular, can easily be used by travel agencies to promote the Spanish countryside to foreign tourists.

Like Paris, Texas, The Hit is also complemented by a superb soundtrack composed by the legendary Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia. The film’s atmospheric opening theme was also composed and performed by two other iconic musicians, Eric Clapton and Roger Waters from Pink Floyd.

Frears shot The Hit with the hugely underrated cinematographer Mike Molloy. After The Hit, Molloy collaborated with Michael Caton-Jones on the controversial thriller Scandal.

*In 1985, The Hit was nominated for BAFTA Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer to Film (Tim Roth).

The Hit Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Hit arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The technical presentation reveals limitations that are common on older masters. For example, the entire film has a softer appearance and in darker areas depth can be quite inconsistent. Delineation isn't optimal either, especially in areas with plenty of nuanced lighting that produced equally nuanced shadows. Grain is 'looser' than it should be, often appearing noisy as well (see screencapture #7). The color scheme is convincing, but there is definitively room for improvement. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments, and this is one of the biggest strengths of the current master. (In 2013, we reviewed this Region-B release of The Hit from Italian label Eagle Pictures and as you can see on it there are plenty of anomalies that were produced by filtering adjustments and weak encoding). Image stability is good, but a brand new master should give the film an even tighter appearance. All in all, the current presentation of The Hit looks slightly dated, but it has decent organic qualities that ensure a pleasing viewing experience. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Hit Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is stable and clear. It has nice depth as well. Dynamic nuances are quite good, but while I viewed the film a couple of times I felt that whenever they emerge the audio could be better rounded. It is hard for me to tell if this is a source limitation, but I am going to speculate that a new master will probably produce a slightly better result.

The Hit Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - audio commentary with director Stephen Frears, writer Peter Prince, actors Tim Roth and John Hurt, and film editor Mick Audsley. The gentlemen explain how The Hit came to exist. Mr. Audsley's comments are arguably the most interesting ones as he discusses how key sequences in the film were shot to create images for the viewer without actually showing them. There are plenty of informative comments about the film's soundtrack as well. In English, with optional Italian subtitles.

• Trailer - original trailer for The Hit. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Parkinson One-to-One: Terrence Stamp - in this archival interview, Terence Stamp discusses the evolution of his career, some of the great actors he worked with (there is a hilarious segment about Marlon Brando), the significance of his performance in Billy Budd, his work in Italy, etc. The interview was conducted by talk-show host Michael Parkinson in 1988. It appeared on Granada Television in the UK. In English, not subtitled. (37 min, 1080i).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic Graham Fuller as well as technical credits.

The Hit Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are a lot of people out there that have seriously overhyped The Hit and even argued that it is one of the greatest British crime films of the last century. It is not that kind of a masterpiece, folks. However, there is a lot of old-fashioned style in it that makes it look really, really cool. (The original trailer for the film features a killer theme by Eric Clapton and Roger Waters, and is in fact one of the best to emerge from the '80s). Criterion's upcoming release is sourced from an older but decent remaster that was supervised by cinematographer Mike Molloy. RECOMMENDED.