The Last Hit Man (2008)

Lack of good storyline.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This low rent Canadian hit-man thriller has received some positive reviews on this site, but I fail to see where they're coming from. This is a lacklustre effort all round, one of those films that's so cheap that most scenes seem to take place in dark rooms with just a couple of characters chatting.There's no sense of drive or urgency that a life-or-death thriller needs. LEON is an obvious reference point but this film can't be mentioned in the same review as that classic. Joe Mantegna looks as weary as the viewer becomes when watching this nonsense, and the whole plot with his daughter is a bore from beginning to end. No action, no drama, no emotion; no real point to the film whatsoever.

He could never go to school to tell her class about his job, but he never missed the "take your child to work day." That's how we learn that the daughter of a top tier professional free lance hit man not only knows what he does but has joined him in the "family business." The scenario gives us a different and novel perspective on the hit man as a profession. Even in the beginning of the movie he becomes a person the audience cares about. The plot starts with a failed assignment (Harry is known to never miss!) that is inexplicable to the people who hired him, causing them to suspect some sort of double cross. We learn why he missed and the ramifications of the muffed assignment fairly early in the film. The movie has some humor but it is basically a serious character study with much suspenseful life and death turns.I guess this is what is called a small movie, but it is a very well done one. Great acting and well paced. I saw it in the 4:3 TV format that cuts off the edges of the picture, so I can't fairly comment on the set design or camera work, but from what I did see it was really good. I liked the mix of black and white and color.********* ************** ********* ******* ********* ***** ********* ********* ***************** ****** ******** *********** NEXT PARAGRAPH CONTAINS SPOILERS! ******** ********** ******* ******* DON'T READ IT UNTIL AFTER YOU'VE SEEN THE MOVIE ******* ******** ************ ********** *********** *********** ********** ************The only parts of the story that bothered me a little were the explanations about the assassination scene:(1) Why does the daughter wait until after Billy lowers his gun before taking action?(2) In the morning Harry Tremayne decides that the last (never seen) assassin must have been hired by the people that were trying to kill him and Racquel. If that was the case and he was watching from a safe distance, why wasn't he aware that his employer was dead before the sun went down and why didn't he use his rifle at that time? The only explanation I can come up with is that they had initially given out 2 contracts, one to Billy and one to another killer, possibly with each unaware of the other. But these are not important to the life and death decisions that Harry is repeatedly faced with.

There are no special effects, no kung fu style moves, no excessive killing and no over-the-top swearing and cursing just for the sake of it. Thank you for going against the flow, Christopher Warre Smets, writer and director of this unexpected gem of a movie.Whilst most movies nowadays seem to need all the above to be a success, 'The Last Hit Man' wins us over by being a thoughtful and emotional glimpse into the last days of a hit-man. It's a simple and unpretentious look into his life and how his work has affected and influenced his daughter's life choices.The ageing hit-man Harry Tremayne, soberly and devotedly played by Joe Mantegna, is a no nonsense type of man. Refreshingly, he isn't superhuman, he doesn't jump around using unrealistic kung fu moves, he is just an intelligent man who is good at what he does and has earned respect for his years as a professional.Elizabeth Whitmere plays the part of the daughter, Racquel Tremayne, and does so with believable emotion and surprising depth at times. The daughter is a strong and stable young woman who knows what her father does for a living, which is a good reflection on the father and the way he raised his child even with her knowing, contrasting against the circles he moves in.While I don't wish to spoil it for you, I thought I would mention the Billy Rosco character, wonderfully played by Romano Orzari. He enters the picture in a scene that delightfully, and memorably, changes the flow of the whole movie. An interesting low-life character that you can't help but like, but also can't quite decide if you can trust.The ending of the movie had me surprised. Little did I realise that I had subtly become much more emotionally attached to the characters than I had realised. There was a certain dignity to the ending and it stirred up emotions in me that left me pensive and sad. This realisation and also that I had actually been engrossed the whole way through truly reflects on the story, cast and director of this movie.The only things I dislike about this movie are the title and tagline: "The Last Hit Man - Daddy's little girl is going into the family business". This is about as cheesy as it gets. Neither the title nor tagline really reflect the depth of the movie. A shame really. Seems like marketing cheesers tacked it on as an afterthought. However, if the title is all I can complain about, then there is nothing to worry about.I thoroughly recommend seeing this movie if you like the genre.

It obvious that director Christopher Warre Smets loves movies. It's also clear that he has seen a lot of them. Something that recalls Tarantino.While watching the theatrical premiere during the Canadian Film Festival just last week, there were many moments where I could see the influence of films from another era. The opening sequence is beautiful and beyond it being the only part in black and white, the film does a great job of having a retro film noir aesthetic while combining it with modern pacing and humor. I don't know what to compare it to as it's not an action film or thriller. The first film that comes to mind is The Professional, as I see parallels in it's treatment of love, family and relationships amidst killing for hire.Totally recommend it.