The Hit (1984)

There’s a strange hypnotic power to Stephen Frears' The Hit, I think some of it is Eric Clapton’s sleazy, bluesy guitar riffs and Frears’ moody direction, but it’s the no-nonsense performance from its leading actor John Hurt that leaves the biggest impression. Terrence Stamp may be a treat as the bewilderingly smiley Willie Parker and Tim Roth certainly exercises some energy as the eager to please Myron, while Hurt barely utters a word. However the first time seeing The Hit I spent the bulk of my runtime staring at the gaunt, craggy face of Hurt's Mr. Braddock thinking “what is this man doing that is so damn enthralling?”. He has precious few lines of dialogue, and he’s a mean, rugged number. I realized more about the character and the film with each passing minute. The most dynamic presence on screen is a worn and tired gangster and Braddock is one of those enigmatic characters that build in your head with every passing minute. He makes you ask questions about his character and his state of mind; "what’s he doing, thinking, why’s he with this upstart (Roth), is he an understudy or a successor to Braddock? Is he annoyed or pleased by his overeager violent thuggery?

And then it all came to me, and it’s simple; he was acting, and doing a damn fine job at that. All of these uncertainties and layers aren’t a coincidence, but the machinations of an assured and smart actor who is in tune with the ebb and flow with the art of acting and filmmaking. Dreamy, scary, tough and unpredictable is how to describe The Hit and Hurt's performance.

- Alex Miller