Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Hit Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 14, 2013

Stephen Frears' "The Hit" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Italian distributors Eagle Pictures. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and an audio commentary with director Stephen Frears, writer Peter Prince, and film editor Mick Audsley. In English, with optional English, Italian, and Italian SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

It is time

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 its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Stephen Frears' The Hit arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Italian distributors Eagle Pictures.

The high-definition transfer is very inconsistent. It has been sourced from an older master, most likely one that was prepared for a DVD release years ago, and it clearly shows. There are light to moderate traces of filtering corrections throughout the entire film. There are select close-ups where detail is somewhat pleasing (see screencapture #3), but elsewhere depth and clarity are indeed underwhelming. The nighttime footage, in particular, is quite problematic - definition and color stability are very poor. Contrast levels also fluctuate. Colors also look anemic and often very flat. The only good news here is the fact that no attempts have been made to sharpen the transfer. Also, there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, or warps to report in this review. To sum it all up, on mid-size screens the presentation may look somewhat decent, or at least occasionally it may look somewhat decent, but with a proper transfer there is no doubt in my mind that The Hit will look like an entirely different film. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Hit Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. For the record, Eagle Pictures have provided optional English, Italian, and Italian SDH subtitles for the main feature.

I chose to view the film with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. The superb soundtrack by legendary guitarist Paco de Lucia gets a strong boost - the music is better rounded and fuller than it appears on Criterion's R1 DVD release of The Hit. Overall dynamic intensity, however, is rather limited. The dialog is stable and easy to follow, but occasionally there is extremely light background hiss that sneaks in.

The Hit Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - audio commentary with director Stephen Frears, writer Peter Prince, 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, with optional Italian subtitles. (3 min).

The Hit Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I truly hope that Criterion will eventually manage to upgrade their R1 DVD release of Stephen Frears' The Hit. This Italian Blu-ray release, courtesy of Eagle Pictures, offers only a very minor upgrade over the R1 DVD release. The high-definition transfer it uses is very inconsistent and there are only small parts of the film that actually look acceptable. Seeing the film with a lossless track, however, is definitely a different experience.