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The Hit

  • 19841984
  • RR
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
8.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
John Hurt and Laura del Sol in The Hit (1984)
Watch {VideoTitle}
Play trailer3:00
1 Video
71 Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Thriller

Ten years after ratting on his old mobster friends in exchange for personal immunity, two hit men drive a hardened criminal to Paris for his execution. However, while on the way, whatever ca... Read allTen years after ratting on his old mobster friends in exchange for personal immunity, two hit men drive a hardened criminal to Paris for his execution. However, while on the way, whatever can go wrong, does go wrong.Ten years after ratting on his old mobster friends in exchange for personal immunity, two hit men drive a hardened criminal to Paris for his execution. However, while on the way, whatever can go wrong, does go wrong.

IMDb RATING
7.0/10
8.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Stephen Frears
  • Writer
    • Peter Prince
  • Stars
    • Freddie Stuart
    • Ralph Brown
    • A.J. Clarke
Top credits
  • Director
    • Stephen Frears
  • Writer
    • Peter Prince
  • Stars
    • Freddie Stuart
    • Ralph Brown
    • A.J. Clarke
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 55User reviews
    • 43Critic reviews
    • 75Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 2 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 3:00
    Official Trailer

    Photos71

    John Hurt in The Hit (1984)
    John Hurt in The Hit (1984)
    Terence Stamp in The Hit (1984)
    Fernando Rey in The Hit (1984)
    John Hurt in The Hit (1984)
    John Hurt and Laura del Sol in The Hit (1984)
    John Hurt, Laura del Sol, and Carlos Tristancho in The Hit (1984)
    John Hurt, Tim Roth, Terence Stamp, and Laura del Sol in The Hit (1984)
    John Hurt, Tim Roth, Terence Stamp, and Laura del Sol in The Hit (1984)
    John Hurt, Tim Roth, and Laura del Sol in The Hit (1984)
    Tim Roth in The Hit (1984)
    John Hurt, Tim Roth, Terence Stamp, and Laura del Sol in The Hit (1984)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Freddie Stuart
    • First Manas First Man
    Ralph Brown
    Ralph Brown
    • Second Manas Second Man
    A.J. Clarke
    • Third Manas Third Man
    Terence Stamp
    Terence Stamp
    • Willie Parkeras Willie Parker
    Lennie Peters
    • Mr. Corriganas Mr. Corrigan
    Bernie Searle
    • Hopwoodas Hopwood
    • (as Bernie Searl)
    Brian Royal
    • Fellowsas Fellows
    Albie Woodington
    • Riordanas Riordan
    Willoughby Gray
    Willoughby Gray
    • Judgeas Judge
    Jim Broadbent
    Jim Broadbent
    • Barristeras Barrister
    Manuel de Benito
    • Juanas Juan
    • (as Manuel De Benito)
    Juan Calot
    Juan Calot
    • Priestas Priest
    Enrique San Francisco
    Enrique San Francisco
    • Kidnapperas Kidnapper
    • (as Quique San Francisco)
    Will More
    Will More
    • Kidnapperas Kidnapper
    • (as Joaquin Alonso)
    José Luis Fernández 'Pirri'
    José Luis Fernández 'Pirri'
    • Kidnapperas Kidnapper
    • (as Jose Luis Fernandez)
    Camilo Vilanova
    • Kidnapperas Kidnapper
    John Hurt
    John Hurt
    • Braddockas Braddock
    Tim Roth
    Tim Roth
    • Myronas Myron
    • Director
      • Stephen Frears
    • Writer
      • Peter Prince
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Ex-gangster Willie Parker (Terence Stamp) has betrayed his former "colleagues" and now lives in Spain where he thinks he can hide from their vengeance. But one day, ten years later, two hitmen (Braddock (Sir John Hurt) and Myron (Tim Roth)) show up and kidnap Willie. They are ordered to escort him back to Paris where he should stand trial. But it is a long way to Paris. —Harald Mayr <marvin@bike.augusta.de>
    • trial
    • courtroom
    • 10 years later
    • kidnapping
    • briefcase
    • 24 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • A Journey to Destiny [Australia Theatrical]
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Joe Strummer was originally considered for the part of Myron, but his bandmates (in The Clash) nixed the idea. Strummer then recommended Tim Roth for the part, based on his appearance as "Trevor the Skinhead" in Made in Britain (1982). This movie was Roth's first theatrical feature, and granted him a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.
    • Goofs
      At the beginning of the film, a black Ford Zephyr Mark III pulls up outside Willie Parker's flat. It has a number plate ending in K, denoting that it was first registered in 1971 or 1972. However this model of car was only made between 1962 and 1966. The DVLA rules on personalised number plates forbid a plate that makes a car look "younger" that its actual year of manufacture.
    • Quotes

      Willie: It's just a moment. We're here. Then we're not here. We're somewhere else... maybe. And it's as natural as breathing. Why should we be scared?

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Heartbreakers/The Hit/Alamo Bay/A Private Function (1985)
    • Soundtracks
      We'll Meet Again
      (uncredited)

      By Ross Parker and Hugh Charles

      Performed by Terence Stamp and other cast menbers

    User reviews55

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Minor masterpiece
    A petty gangster rats out his accomplices and goes into protective custody with his new-found penchant for books and thought, until one day retribution arrives in the form of two assassins. The gangster, now a philosopher who claims he is ready for death as just another step in the progression of life, is taken for a long ride across Spain so that the crime boss he ratted out can witness vengeance inflicted.

    Talk about your minor masterpieces! This has long been one of my favorites ever since I stumbled across it on one of the premium cable movie channels many years ago.

    It's hard to put my finger on just what it is, exactly, that makes this movie great. One can hardly point to substantial character development, because the characters (with one exception) never really become true flesh and blood to us. The plot meanders, truth be told. The dialog is clever but rarely brilliant. So what is it? Certainly the locations and the music, the general ambiance, add a lot to the movie. The car, the clouds of dust, the brilliant Spanish sun, the arc of azure sky, the arid hills, the sultry guitar: these things alone can turn a marginal movie into a good one. Exterior shots predominate, and with good reason. The director knew how to combine simple, pure elements--strong, bold colors, bright sunlight, stark images, and exactly the right sounds--in ways that seem to speak of things larger than themselves.

    But I don't mean to make the rest of the movie sound marginal. The characters aren't terribly well fleshed-out, but they are interesting nevertheless. Hurt's character, the silent, wary predator, comes across as a bit stilted, but he makes it work with his craggy face, his angular body, his croaking voice, and especially his eternally weary eyes. (Few characters could have taken on this role without looking ridiculous.) Stamp is also stilted yet convincing as the amateur philosopher and erstwhile rogue at peace with himself and his fate. Roth, even more constricted in his role, also manages to put across a convincing if thoroughly unsavory persona. These actors don't have much to work with, and yet none of them ever slips into crudely cartoonish performances. They remain genuine, to the degree their characters allow.

    The real surprise is the girl, Laura del Sol. Her obvious physical charms, barely stuffed into a very small dress, lead the viewer (the pop-eyed male viewer, anyway) into writing her off as mere eye candy, until the confrontation between her and Hurt, and the cruel, angry glow in her eyes, brings it home that here perhaps is the highest talent in this cast. It is she alone who stands out, at the end of the movie, as someone we can recognize and identify with; someone who isn't a mere cypher. What a pity that she has done so little else in English-speaking movies.

    Whether you find the ending of this movie satisfying probably says something about your own personality, and how you view concepts like loyalty, crime, vengeance, and justice. I won't go into my own reactions. I'll only say that, when the movie is over, you'll find that, not only have you watched an absorbing movie, but you probably have things to think about.
    helpful•41
    12
    • d_nuttle
    • Jun 14, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 8, 1985 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Die Profi-Killer
    • Filming locations
      • Monasterio de Piedra, Nuévalos, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain
    • Production companies
      • Zenith Entertainment
      • Recorded Picture Company (RPC)
      • Central Productions Ltd.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $876,775
    • Gross worldwide
      • $876,775
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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