Hit!
| Hit! | |
|---|---|
 The movie poster for the film Hit! | |
| Directed by | Sidney J. Furie |
| Written by | Alan Trustman David M. Wolf |
| Produced by | Harry Korshak |
| Starring | Billy Dee Williams Richard Pryor |
| Cinematography | John A. Alonzo |
| Music by | Lalo Schifrin |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures Olive Films (2012 DVD) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 134 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Hit! is a 1973 action film directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor. It is about a federal agent trying to destroy a drug zone after his daughter dies from a heroin overdose.[1]
An alternate title for the film was Goodbye Marseilles.
Cast
- Billy Dee Williams as Nick Allen
- Richard Pryor as Mike Willmer
- Paul Hampton as Barry Strong
- Gwen Welles as Sherry Nielson
- Warren J. Kemmerling as Dutch Schiller
- Janet Brandt as Ida
- Sid Melton as Herman
- Zooey Hall as Carlin
- Todd Martin as Crosby
- Norman Burton as The Director
- Jenny Astruc as Mademoiselle Frelou
- Yves Barsacq as Romain
- Jean-Claude Bercq as Jean-Baptiste
- Henri Cogan as Bornou
- Pierre Collet as Zero
- Tina Andrews as Jeannie Allen, Nick's daughter
Trivia
Many of the people, both cast and crew, involved in this film had previously worked on Lady Sings the Blues (1972).
The role of Nick Allen was originally written for Steve McQueen.[2]
Reception
Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, "It's a movie out for kicks, but the kicks are so implausible, so humorless, so without redeeming style and wit, that to sit through it is to give oneself a false low."[3] Variety faulted the film for "illogical plotting" and a too-long running time that "allows for some tedium," but praised "a charismatic dimension to Williams' leading performance, some tautly edited and dramatically photographed action setpieces and some nifty comic business deftly handled by Furie," as well a "consistently excellent supporting cast."[4] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film three stars out of four, writing that it "isn't going to win any prizes for originality," but nevertheless provides "solid entertainment and should be a box office smash."[5] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "at the level of calculated make-believe it was seeking, the movie succeeds extremely well. It is a big, long (two hours and a quarter), richly glossy international crime adventure, a generally suspenseful piece of storytelling centering on the strong and sympathetic performance of Billy Dee Williams in the lead role."[6]
See also
References
- ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Hit!
- ^ Pierce, Ponchitta (April 1974). "A Look Into The Private Life of Billy Dee Williams". Ebony. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (September 19, 1973). "Furie's 'Hit' Is a Caper Film Without Style". The New York Times: 38.
- ^ "Hit". Variety: 18. September 26, 1973.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (October 8, 1973). "Hit!" Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 19.
- ^ Champlin, Charles (October 3, 1973). "Billy Dee and the Soiled Six". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 1.
External links
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