Hit Man (1972)

Good concept, poorly executed.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Blaxploitation remake of Get Carter about a man (Bernie Casey) investigating the death of his brother. Ample doses of sex, violence, and humor. Colorful language and stereotypical characters might turn easily offended viewers off. Bernie Casey makes for a solid blaxploitation protagonist: tough, cool, and magic with the ladies. Pam Grier is sexy as always and appears in all her glory. The character she plays is scummy and meets a particularly gruesome end. Lisa Moore is amusing as the motel manager with the hots for Casey and has some great lines. Marilyn Joi has a couple of brief but memorable scenes as the aptly-named Rita Biggs. Early role for Paul Gleason as a policeman/hit-man. A good movie that, like the best of the genre, rises above its gritty subject matter and manages to entertain not depress.

I just watched this on Turner Classics Middle East, and I can tell by all the places the reviewers come from (mostly the UK) that this movie does not get airplay in the USA. Ted Turner (if he owns the overseas MGM catalog and network) has no problems showing stereotype stuff overseas but I guess he catches to much flak at his liberal cocktail parties in America to air films like this or another I just saw on TCM, "Cool Breeze". Both movies were made the same year 1972. Let me educate the European reviewers who seem to be making some observations and try to clarify why it was done. One reviewer said that the blacks dress outrageously and talk stereotypical or something along those lines. The dress is not over the top, I grew up in New York city and I'll never forget seeing an actual pimp mobile, its just like the movie "Magnum Force" had very outrageous style and in your face. The clothes did happen, of course its a movie so not everyone can afford all the nice clothes and dress and stuff but thats a movie thing, the styles are accurate for that time. As far as the speech goes, it sounded like it was OK to me as well, nothing at all outrageous about it. Blacks in America have their own dialect unlike UK blacks which although I'm sure an English person may recognize the difference, they are a lot closer than Caucasian and black Americans generally sound. Third, a lot of you UK reviewers are taking this movie waaaay to seriously. This movie was shown in a second tier type theater in the northern states (where I grew up)and probably in a predominantly black area theater in the south. It was where people went to get get wasted and drunk (usually in the theater), and have a good time with LOTS of audience ad libs thrown out in the audience. That is why the ending is "happy", this is not a movie for critical thought, it's for good times. By the way, Cool Breeze is a blaxploitation flick of The Asphalt Jungle and it to has a "happy" ending unlike the original, as well. My favorite parts of the movie are when Tyrone is driving with Sherwood and they are swigging and knockin down a quart of bourbon and getting lit up! Sherwood, played by Sam Laws was great in his small role as he was when he was in Cool Breeze. Other notable scenes that I enjoyed, Tyrone blows a hole in his landladies roof with a shotgun and shes mad that he didn't do her before he left! Pam Grier bust fans (like me) will groove to this one, she bares that great chest a good while and it's looking real fine. All in all, this honky says check this flick out its, "dyno-mite"!

A blaxploitation version of GET CARTER ! Maybe I should hate this movie and maybe I do , however it is a very entertaining film in a slightly offensive and highly patronizing way . Did you know director/screenwriter George Armitage is white ? It probably shows as Tyrone Tackett ( At least he`s not called Jefferson or Washington ) arrives at his brother`s funeral wearing a purple catsuit and a floppy hat ( ! ) . Oh and mourners at a black person`s funeral console the bereaved with lines like " Yo , your brother was a real funky dude " ( !! ) and all black people address each other as " Momma " " Cat " and " Bro " ( !!! ) , you really do get the impression that Mr Armitage has never met a black person in real life Despite all this I wish to repeat this is a highly entertaining movie because of its extremely dated stereotypes and at no time did I feel myself comparing it to the original British gangster classic , unlike the recent Sly Stallone remake

An excellent version of the Ted Lewis book, Jack's return home. Although the style and acting is below the high standard of Hodges' classic Get Carter, it conjures up some novel death scenes and some cool dialogue. Caine said "You're a big man, but you're out of shape. Me, it's a full time job." Bernie Casie said, "You're a big cat, but don't be selling me no wolf ticket." Quality. If you liked Carter, you'll like Hit Man.