The Hit List (2011)

Sadly Over-hyped

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

I really really liked the plot of this movie. It was very unique and not the same old action thriller where terrorists kidnap a cops child and/or wife, etc. It had so much potential, but in my opinion the potential was never reached. Some people mentioned the budget but that was not my issue. Jonas the hit-man, had a very underdeveloped character. They let us peak into the characters but do not let us get attached. Not sure if Jonas was ****spoiler alert****a rogue government agent, or if the guy playing the special agent was really a former client of Jonas. The final scenes reminded me of a terminator movie where Jonas was able to single handedly bring down an entire police precinct. Also they send one cop car to apprehend a potential victim of a homicidal maniac on a three day rampage. They send more police units for a traffic stop on the freeway. But this was definitely worth a watch. I agree with another poster also that the sound needed work. Some parts were so loud it was deafening and others were so quiet I had to turn the sound up to almost the max to hear. I would give this movie a C.

Watch this if...you enjoy an average action/suspense film. The plot is solid, but the casting is questionable.Acting/Casting: 4* - This is a movie where the actors were put into and accepted roles that they didn't fit and the result was sub par performances. Cole Hauser isn't meant to play a pushover wimp and Cuba Gooding Jr struggles to play a sinister killer. You could argue that if it was cast the other way around it could have been better.Directing/Cinematography/Technical: 5* - The movie has a nice flow and the special effects are good enough. Nothing to really mention good or bad in this category. The music score is also out of whack.Plot/Characters: 6.5* - I found the plot intriguing and very solid. A down on his luck man gets drunk in a bar and makes a hypothetical hit-list with an ill ex-military killer. The problem is the killer begins taking out people on the list and the man must rush to stop him before it's too late.Entertainment Value: 6* - As mentioned, it has a nice flow and is entertaining. If cast differently, I think it could have been quite a good film.My Score: 4+5+6.5+6 = 21.5/4 = 5.4Email your thoughts to [email protected]

And when am asking that, I'm suggesting that this is a hit, but rather a remake of a movie called "The Hit". I just saw the trailer for this other movie (can be found here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0263444/ and is with the actress Joanna Pacula, who some may knew from other movies) and it is stunningly how alike they look. I wonder if someone will check the connection and post it here.But back to this one and it's strong cast. An Oscar winner (okay what movie offers didn't Cuba accept since his win?) and Cole Hauser. Still while it is intriguing (the concept that is) and the actors try their best with a script that is anything but subtle or genuinely good. There is some tension, but you'll eventually loose interest in this. If you have watched one thriller before this, you'll know where it is heading (and it doesn't have to be the one this is ripping off either)!

I watched this film last night, it was a really low budget amateur film , The acting was bad in some places. The plot and story line were also predictable. I really would not recommend this film at all, it was one of the worst I've seen since " No country for old men". It starts with poor old Alan having a bad day , meets a guy in a bar who uncovers his true colors as a hit-man,writes a list of five names that Alan would like dead and thats pretty much it. It becomes worse and worse as time ticks by. There is not enough action for an action movie, Jr is looking old and doesn't suit the role at all , he tries real hard to create a character who should be scary and sadistic but fails. Please don't waste your time with this