The Hit (2001 Video) User Reviews

Stretches Believability Well Past Its Breaking Point.

[rsoonsa · 2/10 · 23 March 2005]

Frustrated more than he can stand, Keith (Maxwell Caulfield), a crime reporter for a major newspaper, when unable to cope with the collapse of his marriage, failure to gain custody of his young son, and loss of his home, agrees when in a state of drunkenness to an offer put to him by a former business school acquaintance (who happens to be connected) that he believes will solve all of his immediate problems: the murder of his spouse by contract (utilizing his employer's funds), but when he has regained sobriety and attempts to renege on the hit, he discovers this this will be far more difficult than arranging it, and since it is obvious that he may not involve police, he attempts to protect his estranged wife, who desires no part of his guardianship. The film is produced in Lithuania's capital of Vilnius and its wooded environs and employs many Lithuanian players who are palpably dubbed into English and, despite excellent camera-work, flaws cripple the piece throughout as it is burdened with a silly plot, striking lapses in continuity, weak direction marked by awkward blocking and setups, lacklustre performing, choppy editing, and indeed general post-production sloppiness that plants this movie (one of a growing genre: Tardy Tries At Cancelling Contract Hits), down to the bottom of the barrel.

Maxwell Caulfield is an almost nice guy

[crystalart · 8/10 · 7 April 2011]

I've been watching Maxwell Caulfield for years. First, I saw him with Charlie Sheen in "The Boys Next Door" as a psychopath just out of high school on a murderous rampage in LA.

He appears in "Sundown, the Vampires in Retreat" with David Carradine.

In "Mind Games" he again plays a psychopath.

At last, he's got a part where he can play a caring parent. Granted, he puts a contract out on his ex-wife, but he soon regrets it and spends the rest of the film trying to save her and their son from death.

Give it a try.

It has some surprise twists and turns.