THE BIG HIT (1998)
Rating: 2.0 stars (out of 4.0) ******************************** Key to rating system: 2.0 stars - Debatable 2.5 stars - Some people may like it 3.0 stars - I liked it 3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie 4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out ********************************* A Movie Review by David Sunga
Directed by: Che-kirk Wong
Written by: Ben Ramsey
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christina Applegate, Avery Brooks, Bokeem Woodbine, Lela Rochon, China Chow, Antonio Sabāto Jr.
Ingredients: Hip young hitmen, suburban love problems, kidnapping plan that backfires, running gags about masturbation and an overdue video tape
Synopsis: THE BIG HIT is an action comedy about the weekend adventure of Mel, who leads a double life as both an accomplished hitman, and a handsome but wishy-washy suburban 20-something. In the story Mel (Mark Wahlberg), Cisco (Lou Diamond Phillips), Crunch (Bokeem Woodbine), and Vinnie (Antonio Sabāto Jr.) are hip, young guys who make easy money as hitmen for mob boss Paris (Avery Brooks). Unknown to their boss, one day the boys moonlight by taking a kidnapping job on the side. But it all backfires when their victim, a Japanese tycoon's daughter named Keiko (China Chow), turns out to be Paris' godchild. When boss Paris comes a-calling, Cisco, in saving his own hide, frames Mel.
Talk about a bad weekend for poor Maalox-swigging Mel! Aside from the mob coming after him, several things happen: His mistress Chantel (Lela Rochon) runs off with his money and another man. Mel must also field a visit from his fiancee Pam's irritating parents. A zealous video store clerk hounds Mel for an overdue video. Lastly, Mel begins falling in love with the kidnappee.
Will nice hitman Mel ever get his life together?
Opinion: On paper it sounds great, but in the theater it's different. The action content is fine, but the audience is asked to swallow some improbable characterizations. For example, when - - early in the movie - - Mel forks over his entire salary to Cisco; it seems like an odd thing to do. Also in the movie the kidnap victim Keiko falls in love with her kidnapper Mel after about two seconds. That's a little quick.
As Mel, Mark Wahlberg (formerly singer Marky Mark) does an admirable acting job. His action is pretty good, too, though Marky throws the left hook a little slow because the deltoid is stiff. Similarly Lou Diamond Phillips entertains adequately as the over-the-top fast-talking, knife-swinging, gold-toothed Cisco.
Unfortunately, THE BIG HIT tries to be hip, but ends up feeling fluffy and mindless because the action is pretty, but the comedy doesn't quite succeed. This makes THE BIG HIT watchable in a cute, 'pop' sort of way, but plot-wise the movie doesn't seem to go anywhere, even with cinematic gunfire and explosions in the background.
I lived a number of years in Tokyo, where comic books are filled with pop idol characters - - muscular arms, westernized, doe-eyed young hunks with hip hairstyles; and female Japanese schoolgirl characters: all blouses and skirts and high socks (or sailor suits), and the occasional fatherly Asian tycoon stereotype.
The concept behind THE BIG HIT is to insert these popular types of characters into a Western setting, mixing American pop music, lingo, and apparel with Hong Kong style action, choreography, and balletic cinematography. This is all part of a larger trend - - something I call the 1990s Hong Kong/ Hollywood connection, whose biggest players are producer Terence Chang and director John Woo.
Basically, in recent years a lot of Chinese talent has come to Tinsel Town. Think of directors John Woo (Face/off), Tsui Hark (Double Team), or Stanley Tong (Mr. Magoo). Or actors/actresses Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies), Chow Yun-fat (Replacement Killers), or Jackie Chan (Rumble in the Bronx). All of these people, in one way or another, are on a quest for a Holy Grail, the grail being a Hollywood formula that blends elements of East with West to create box office success.
I think this formula is feasible, as all of these people have had some measure of success. But the 'magic' formula that works very time has not yet been found. Some things work, and some things don't, sometimes.
And audiences genuinely enjoy action scenes and graceful cinematography, especially if they augment an already strong plot. Watching a John Woo or Jackie Chan film, one is impressed with the meticulous attention paid to choreography sequences and graceful cinematography. Choreography is one element of Eastern film culture that has successfully taken root in America. Let's face it, nobody in the movies fights like John Wayne anymore!
A less successful element has been the idea of mixing action with comedy. Hong Kong film likes to mix quirky comedy in with the action. Most Western film stick with straight action (Diehard), but Quentin Tarantino does the action/comedy thing, too. However, there's an important East/West difference in the concept of comedy:
Much of Western comedy is situation driven. For example, in SEINFELD, none of the main characters is a sendup of a stereotype, but each main character is a bit eccentric, and gets into goofy comedic situations. On the other hand, a lot of Eastern comedy is character driven. Actors typically do over-the-top sendups of well-known racial or occupational stereotypes.
This comedic cultural difference has consequences. In THE BIG HIT Mel meets his fiancee's parents. One is a comedic sendup of an alcoholic, and the other is racial sendup of a Jewish mother. The portrayal is meant to be funny, but I didn't hear a single laugh in the theater. Similarly, another character in THE BIG HIT is an exaggerated nerdy video store clerk; he didn't get an laughs, either. The sendup of the Japanese tycoon father also fell flat. I see this as a cultural difference. In the West, loony situation comedy goes over much better than racial or occupational character sendups, which may be considered borderline politically incorrect.
Another difference is the use of pop culture references in movies. Both East and West use them. In Eastern movies, pop culture supplies a decorative element of familiarity, much like the character sendups. But in Western film, pop culture is always mixed with witty repartee or dialogue (SCREAM, PULP FICTION, etc.). But in the West, pop culture alone, minus the wittiness, is considered mindless MTV fluff.
THE BIG HIT could be stronger if it replaces the overdone sendups with eccentric originals, switched to more situational suspense for comedy, pushes a stronger plot, and throws in wittier barbs. To make a long story short, I like two things about THE BIG HIT. I like the premise (a competent hit man doubles as an inept 20-something), and I like the action sequences. On the other hand THE BIG HIT unsuccessfully tries to squeeze comedy out of character stereotypes, and lacks snappy dialogue. This succeeds to some extent, but comes off as 'okay' rather than truly big.
Reviewed by David Sunga April 24, 1998
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