The Big Hit (1998)

To start with, I wish IMDB would start having a policy of blocking paid shills. The ones giving this dreck glowing incredible reviews all write the same way. If this was supposed to be satire or comedy or something like that it failed miserably. The writing is perhaps the worst. I keep wondering how movies are sold strictly on who is going to be in it. The dialogue is mundane and predictable. The so called "action" is predictable and even if it is supposed to be kind of a black comedy it falls flat. And the resulting romance between kidnapper and kidnappee is just so boring and lame and predictable. The dinner and chase sequence and the rest...The ending is the same as EVERY SINGLE OTHER with the good guy hitman and his victim falling in love and running off together. NOTHING about this was funny or serious or anything. IT is just a BLAH movie. So happy I didn't pay anything to see itI would bet the farm the writers actually DID use a phone to send in the script.

Upon viewing, no one should remain under the impression this was supposed to be a serious assassin movie. Gee, I can't believe I even wrote that. And just in case you're wondering how this film stacks up to "King Kong Lives", I'd say it's about a toss-up. This one does to the assassin genre what 'KKL' does to big ape flicks.The biggest kick I got out of this was Elliott Gould doing his low key Jewish husband bit attempting to score a drink whenever he got the chance. There has to be a joke in there somewhere regarding his choice of rum and prune juice but it's escaping me right now. Oh yeah, come to think of it, I believe it's called a pile-driver.There's really nothing to take too seriously about this flick, so just sit back and enjoy the silliness if you can. Personally, I could have used more of Sab Shimono in the story, he's always good for that deadpan brand of comic relief. China Chow was an interesting actress portraying his daughter Keiko Nishi, though it would have been a bit more believable (like the rest was?) if she was a few years older. The only real question I have after watching this one was what the heck were Melvin Smiley's (Wahlberg) garbage bags made out of?

At first glance, THE BIG HIT looks to be an ensemble action comedy, in which a team of kidnappers pick on the wrong target and soon find themselves victims of the Mob. Look a little closer and you'll see that Hong Kong director Kirk Wong (CRIME STORY) helmed it and John Woo executive produced; this then is an American film with a distinctly Chinese flavour.That flavour is present in the style and execution of the action sequences, which contain the kind of stunts and situations familiar from both the knockabout '80s comedies starring Jackie Chan and the harder-hitting gun films of John Woo. Certainly, watching Mark Wahlberg jumping onto chandeliers, flying in the air, and spinning on railings makes for unique spectacle, even if it is incredibly cheesy for the unsuspecting viewer.The script is one of those efforts brimming with snappy dialogue and adult humour, the kind that became exceptionally popular after the success of PULP FICTION. The casting director has had a field day, drawing in the likes of Bokeem Woodbine, Lou Diamond Phillips, Elliott Gould and many others to play the larger-than-life characters. It's occasionally funny and often mildly entertaining, although not the big hit that the title would have you believe; watchable if nothing else.

I love this movie. Its funny, tense and action packed. Sure its over the top, most action movies are. And some of the dialog is silly, as most movies are. And there are tons of only in the movies moments... cause it is a movie after all. No, its a great movie...there is only one thing that really bothers me about this movie...its the sexual innuendo during the cooking scene. Are we to be turned on by the fact that they're stuffing a chicken? Its an obvious reference to a hand job. Its not sexy...just...GROSS. The other thing the movie has going for it is its comedy. Elliot Gould steals his scenes. And now that this movie is on Blu-Ray, it looks so much better. I'm in love with it all over again.