The Big Hit (1998)
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41% of critics liked it
(39 reviews) -
58% of users liked it
(29,299 ratings)
Kirk Wong directed this comedy actioner about mild-mannered, beleaguered hitman Melvin Smiley (Mark Wahlberg), who very much wants to be liked. However, the naive Mel is being taken advantage of by both his girlfriends and associates (who cheat him out of his bonuses). Mel and his "Odd… More Kirk Wong directed this comedy actioner about mild-mannered, beleaguered hitman Melvin Smiley (Mark Wahlberg), who very much wants to be liked. However, the naive Mel is being taken advantage of by both his girlfriends and associates (who cheat him out of his bonuses). Mel and his "Odd Squad" -- Cisco (Lou Diamond Phillips), Crunch (Bokeem Woodbine), Vince (Antonio Sabato Jr.), and Gump (Robin Dunne) -- work for Paris (Avery Brooks), head of an international crime cartel and a contractor for hit jobs. Mel's mistress Chantel (Lela Rochon), who views him as a meal ticket, lives rent-free in his house, misspends his money, and is continually thinking of ways to get more from him. Her latest scheme is concocting tales about overdue mortgage and car payments, but she really wants the money to run away with her lover Sergio. Mel and his team head into a big shootout to waste some rival mobsters. One person kills the electricity; the others don night-vision goggles. Melvin handles most of the action, including shooting while bungee-bouncing near a staircase, finally making a spectacular bungee-exit from the top floors of the building just as it explodes in flames. A quick and easy weekend job backfires when their kidnap victim, a rich industrialist's teenage daughter Keiko Nishi (China Chow), turns out to be the godchild of their boss, crime czar Paris. When Cisco, mastermind of the plan, is summoned by Paris, he manages to shift blame to Mel. Meanwhile, Chantel absconds with Mel's earnings just as the disapproving parents (Elliott Gould, Lainie Kazan) of Mel's fiancee Pam (Christina Applegate) are due for a visit. Since Pam gave her parents $50,000 from Mel's bank account, they're on their way to thank him and hopefully benefit from another financial windfall. As his professional and domestic woes collide, Mel finds himself dodging bullets while trying to impress his potential in-laws. Throw in an overzealous video-store clerk demanding the return of an overdue tape (King Kong Returns), and it's not long before Mel's life starts to unravel. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Directed By
- Kirk Wong
- Written By
- Ben Ramsey
- Genres
- Action & Adventure
- In Theaters
- Apr 24, 1998 Wide
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Jack Mathews, Los Angeles Times
The Big Hit is nothing more, or less, than a big goof.
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Susan Stark, Detroit News
...crude and bloody but effective action comedy...
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James Berardinelli, ReelViews
As low- intelligence entertainment goes, this film is very much a hit-and-miss affair.
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Jay Carr, Boston Globe
In its non-A-list way, The Big Hit is the most successful attempt yet to transfer the Hong Kong action movie to Hollywood.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The characters in these movies exist in a Twilight Zone where thousands of rounds of ammunition are fired, but no one ever gets shot unless the plot requires him to. The bullets have read the screenplay.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Mark Wahlberg
as Melvin Smiley
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Lou Diamond Phillips
as Cisco
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Christina Applegate
as Pam Shulman
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Avery Brooks
as Paris
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Bokeem Woodbine
as Crunch
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China Chow
as Keiko Nishi
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Antonio Sabato Jr.
as Vince
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Lainie Kazan
as Jeanne Shulman
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Elliott Gould
as Morton Shulman
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Sab Shimono
as Jiro Nishi
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Robin Dunne
as Gump
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Lela Rochon
as Chantel
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Danny Smith
as Video Store Kid
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Joshua Peace
as Lance
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David Usher
as Sergio


