The indomitably bad and effortlessly cool Bernie Casey stars in an early blaxploitation film that was not only one of his first major roles, but one of Pam Grier’s as well.
Following the sudden death of his brother, Tyrone Tackett (Casey) returns to L.A. hungry for justice and thirty for blood. He doesn’t believe his brother’s fatal car crash was an accident, and his suspicions are immediately confirmed by an icy welcome. It’s not long before shady cats start hitting him with unsubtle advice to get out of town. Tyrone may be a dapper fellow, with his stylish afro and fabulous wardrobe of suits and hats, but not afraid to get his hands dirty. He’s also not particularly scrupulous in his own dealings or shy about laying down the hurt on his enemies, especially after multiple encounters and betrayals wear down his patience.
It’s a relatively mean-spirited film, and while Tyrone occasionally stops to make time for some lovin’ and some spots of comedy, he’s mostly raising hell. His dogged trek through the underbelly of L.A. is an escalating shakedown in a world of prostitutes and porn magnates, and motel rooms and high-rises, and even mixes things up with some forays into the animal violence – an underground dogfight and a wildlife sanctuary that hosts some hungry lions (who aren’t picky about what kind of meat they can get).
Oh, and lots and lots of phone calls.
Casey and Grier are supported by a solid cast of character actors, including some familiar genre and TV actors like Edmund Cambridge, Roger E. Mosley, and one of the most expressively grizzled and recognizable “that guy” faces of the 70s, Sam Laws.
Like many blaxploitation films, this Americanized remake of Get Carter is narratively heightened and stylized, but physically a window into a real time and place, in this case shot on location in early 70s L.A. – from the grittiest street level hovels and porno theaters to mansions and developments of the elite and powerful, and seemingly everywhere in between. In a bit of a trope for 70s action films and exploitation pictures, the film’s climax takes place in the towering steel conveyances of a big industrial shipping yard.
The film was produced by Gene Corman, whose brother Roger had just given Pam her start. With her terrific qualities immediately evident while working in Roger’s Philippines-shot women in prison productions, she was quickly tapped for supporting roles in Gene’s Cool Breeze and Hit Man, her first appearances in the emerging blaxploitation genre. (Her third, Coffy, would make her a star). At the helm was George Armitage (Vigilante Force), a member and later graduate of the Corman circle who’s arguably better known for his 90s films, Grosse Pointe Blank and Miami Blues.
The Package
At long last, Hit Man is now available on Blu-ray as part of the Warner Archive Collection. The film has long been part of Warner Archive’s catalogue as an MOD DVD and has finally made its long-anticipated (by me) Blu-ray debut.
The release is part of a recent effort to bring Warner’s Archive’s blaxploitation DVD back catalogue – including Black Belt Jones, Black Eye, Three the Hard Way, and the upcoming Melinda – to Blu-ray.
While not particularly known for being a beautiful film, it’s quite nicely shot by Andrew Davis, who got his feature film start working on Gene Corman productions including Cool Breeze, Private Parts, and The Slams – if that name sounds familiar, it’s probably because he went on to become one of the biggest action directors of the 90s (The Fugitive, Above the Law, Under Siege).
This Blu-ray does a terrific job of showing off his eye, especially pertaining to some of the film’s low light cinematography and more striking compositions.
This Blu-ray edition’s sole supplement is an okay-quality Theatrical Trailer. While more supplemental features would have been appreciated, this output isn’t particularly surprising as the DVD release was a Warner Archive MOD, rather than a standard release.)
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon: https://amzn.to/43CBdJA
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