REVIEW: THE BIG HIT (1998)
by Chris Webb copyright 1998
to appear in "The Amherst Student" 5/6/98
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christina Applegate, Avery Brooks, China Chow, Antonio Sabato Jr., Elliot Gould, Lainie Kazan, Bokeen Woodbine, Sab Shimono. Directed by Che Kirk Wong. Written by Ben Ramsey.
In 1996, a film called "2 Days in the Valley" made a misguided attempt at becoming the next "Pulp Fiction" by intertwining several lives amid a ring of smalltime crime, examining the inner humanity of the lowlives involed. Essentially, "Pulp Fiction" borrowed this formula from Robert Altman's classic "Short Cuts," but did so successfully. Another copycat has emerged in "The Big Hit," a film so derivative of genres and directing styles, that the real enjoyment is indentifying where you have seen this happen before.
Four idiosyncratic hit men, Melvin Smiley (Mark Wahlberg), Cisco (Lou Diamond Phillips), Crunch (Bokeen Woodbine), and Vinnie (Antonio Sabato Jr.), work for ringleader Paris (Avery Brooks). Unauthorized, they kidnap the college-aged daughter (China Chow) of a failed media mogul (Sab Shimono) looking for quick ransom. A problem arises when the girl, Keiko, turns out to be Paris' goddaughter, angering him. What ensues is a series of double- and triple-crossing that plays out like a bad cartoon.
Sensitive, morally-challenged Melvin is engaged to airhead Pam Schulman (Christina Applegate), whose Jewish parents (Lainie Kazan, Elliot Gould) disapprove of the pairing since Melvin is Catholic. Meanwhile, wild-and-crazy Cisco is caught between his loyalty to his fellow kidnappers and his loyalty to Paris, who asks him to find the culprits. Phillips broods and rants, chewing up scenery, as a villain who defies death about as well as Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction" or any enemy in the "Scream" series. Woodbine ("The Rock") becomes a sight gag as in each scene he has a different and increasingly bigger hand-strengthening apparatus after denying he enjoys self-pleasure in an opening scene. This is all supposed to be funny stuff.
Rookie writer Ben Ramsey and accalimed director Che Kirk Wong, making his big time American debut, seem to have gained their cinematic eye by watching all the movies they could get their hands on. In one scene, hitmen have come to take out Melvin as he and Pam's family sit down for dinner. As they sit there, guns are pulled under the table, while a drunken Elliot Gould spews insults and his insides across the table. The Gould part of this scene is reminiscent of Oliver Stone in "Natural Born Killers" or "U-Turn." As the tablecloth is pulled off the table, the guns go off in a less-than-spectacular scene that producer John woo could have turned into a masterpiece. The gunfight moves to the kitchen invoking memories of "Grosse Pointe Blank."
Want a search and car chase? Borrow from "Law and Order" or "NYPD Blue." Want to tape up the kidnapped? Watch "Excess Baggage." Hey, what about a slow motion scene of guys walking? Steal from "Reservoir Dogs" which adapted elements from "A Clockwork Orange." Want to turn stuffing a chicken into a romantic encounter? That pottery scene from "Ghost" works. This film touches Scorsese and video from the O.J. Simpson car chase. It borrows from everything, because it wants to be the next "Naked Gun," which is setting its sights far too high.
"The Big Hit" gives us the spectrum of movie stardom. Mark Wahlberg is a nearly established star thanks to "Boogie Nights," but is green enough to make films like this without ruining his potential career. Lou Diamond Phillips and Christina Applegate are in the positions of being typecast as a hothead and airhead respectively, and should aim higher. TV-ready Gould should stick to his sitcom spots on "Friends" and "Getting Personal," while Kazan should book her ticket for a ride on the new "Love Boat." There is always potential for them to return to their heydays (both are past Oscar nominees) with some smarter choices. As Burt Reynolds, Robert Forster, and Pam Grier proved last year, it is never too late to make a comeback. The lucky escapees? Chow and Sabato Jr. Their stars are rising and gain valuable exposure in this high profile film. After all, Wahlberg had his "Fear" and underwear model career before making an A-list name for himself.
If "The Big Hit" is a spoof on every movie ever made, then it is successful in its inclusiveness. The sum of these parts, though, makes a choppy, annoying movie. The only truly funny thing about this film is its ironic title.
My grade: C-
*******chris webb******** *www.amherst.edu/~cjwebb* *************************
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