Hit Man (1972) (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Apr 30, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
George ArmitageRelease Date(s)
1972 (March 25, 2025)Studio(s)
Penelope Productions/MGM (Warner Archive Collection)- Film/Program Grade: C+
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A-
- Extras Grade: D-
Review
The Mike Hodges-directed, Michael Caine-starring Get Carter (1971) is today regarded as one of the all-time great British crime films, but when it was new, MGM, which produced it through its British arm, had so little faith in it they farmed out its U.S. distribution to United Artists, which released it to the drive-in market, the bottom-half of a double-bill headlined by Dirty Dingus McGee, a very tired Frank Sinatra Western.
Meanwhile, producer Gene Corman (Roger’s brother) made Cool Breeze, a blaxploitation remake of the classic MGM-produced heist film The Asphalt Jungle (1950). Though poorly received, the idea of remaking MGM-owned properties seemed like a good idea to Corman, who ripped off the title page to Get Carter’s screenplay, handed it off to writer-director George Armitage, and instructed him to rework the material as a blaxploitation film.
As Hit Man, the remake is intriguing but doesn’t work for various reasons. Get Carter was notable as an authentic look at the lower-class criminal underworld, while Hit Man in one sense glamorizes it with blaxploitation movie clichés. Further, star Bernie Casey has none of the charisma or acting chops of Caine, something Hit Man desperately needed.
The movie gets off on the wrong foot by changing the main character from a no-nonsense gangster, an enforcer to, unbelievably, a former cop who, inexplicably, dresses like a pimp. Tyrone Tackett (Casey) returns to Los Angeles for the funeral of his brother, Cornell, who supposedly drowned after drunk-driving his car off a pier.
Dismissing the official ruling, Tyrone begins questioning various family members and associates, including Cornell’s prostitute girlfriend, Irvelle (Bhetty Waldron) and Tyrone’s niece, Rochelle (Candi Ali). He eventually rents a motel room from manager Laural Garfoot (Lisa Moore), and is followed around L.A. by gangsters Baby Huey (Roger E. Mosley, later of Magnum P.I.) and Leon (Christopher Joy), enforcers for white gangster Nano Zito (Don Diamond). At an uncomfortably realistic dogfight of two pit bulls, Tyrone notes another connection to Zito, his black chauffeur-lieutenant, Shag Merriweather (Bob Harris). More characters enter the prolix plot, including porno theater owner Theotis Oliver (Edmund Cambridge), and aspiring porno actress Gozelda (Pam Grier). (Armitage really goes overboard with all these eccentric character names.)
Hit Man is a strange animal, with its generally serious, non-exploitation tone a la Get Carter in some respects, while embracing blaxploitation stereotypes and clichés in distracting ways elsewhere. Given its low budget, one suspects the original costume design was largely limited to Bernie Casey’s character, who wears bright, primary-colored pimp duds that border on parody. On location, in stolen shots, passersby can be glimpsed gaping at Casey’s outrageous wardrobe. Such images, in sunny L.A., exemplify the problem of remaking a story set in the even drabber, poorer, overcast streets of Newcastle.
The former All-American football star is still in great shape, made clear by the fairly explicit sex scenes, Tyrone spending as much time bedding nearly every female cast member as he does looking for his brother’s killer. Casey was better in other projects (Brian’s Song, Sharkey’s Machine) but wasn’t required to carry those films; watching Hit Man, it’s clear Casey has almost zero charisma as a movie lead; contemporaries like Fred Williamson, Jim Brown and—God help me—even O.J. Simpson looked better on film and/or were slightly better actors. Pam Grier, not yet a star in a smallish, supporting part in Hit Man, blows Casey off the screen in their scenes together.
Most of the rest of the cast is unmemorable, save for Roger E. Mosley, whose derby-wearing torpedo is pretty amusing. Other than Grier, dimple-cheeked Lisa Moore is very appealing as Tyrone’s ally, and it’s surprising she didn’t have a bigger career, she limited mostly to small and bit parts on television and a few films, including the recently-reviewed Swashbuckler.
Warner Archive’s Region-Free Blu-ray of Hit Man looks and sounds good, the 1.85:1 widescreen image free of damage or signs of wear, and the color appears accurate, while the DTS-HD Master Audio (2.0 mono) is reasonably strong. Optional English subtitles are provided.
The lone extra is a badly-encoded, full-frame trailer.
For its connection to the far-superior Get Carter, made just the year before, Hit Man is not without interest. A more credible African-American remake of the material isn’t a bad idea at all, but in adapting with blaxploitation tropes, the film disappoints.
- Stuart Galbraith IV