THE BIG HIT
US, 1998, 92 minutes, Colour.
Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Philips, Christina Applegate, Avery Brooks, Bokeem Woodbine, Antonio Sabato Jnr, Lainie Kazain, Elliot Gould, China Chow.
Directed by Che Kirk Wong (Won Che-Keung)
A film that has its cake and eats it too. While it opens with slam-bang action of the violent kind, it proceeds to parody all of this with a professional killer who is really a nice suburban chap at heart who is then double-crossed by his greedy partner and we move into slambang again after some domestic comedy with his fiancée and her very Jewish parents. Mark Wahlberg is the genial killer and Lou Diamond Philips overacts with relish as his shining teeth nemesis. Christina Applegate, Lanie Kazan and Elliot Gould are the fiancée and family. Full of cleverly staged action, it plays on audience approval of and disapproval of screen violence. Slambang.
1. The appeal of this kind of crime thriller, the touch of martial arts, the Hong Kong tradition? American audiences, Asian audiences? Worldwide?
2. The work of the director, his transition from Hong Kong movie-making to the United States?
3. The Californian city, the suburbs? The exteriors of the homes and the streets, ordinariness? The contrast with the world of crime, crime lords, pimps? The musical score? The range of songs?
4. The importance of the action sequences, the special effects, the stunt work? The Hong Kong tradition?
5. The serious tone of the film, the focus on Melvin Smiley and his work as an assassin? The other hit men? Their being given targets? Their following through? The range of killings and body count?
6. The contrast with the farcical treatment, the flippant dialogue, the one-liners? The film’s attitudes of spoof, spoofing the movies? The jokey atmosphere?
7. Melvin, his being presented as a nice, suburban killer? Audience sympathies towards him? The initial work, the hit men, the break-in into the home, the pimp, Paris employing them? The shooting of the pimp? The violence, the aftermath?
8. Melvin and his work out, the showers? The irony of Melvin doing everything, yet some bungling? His relationship with the other hit men?
9. Pam, his relationship with her, on and off? His friendship with Cisco? The girl and the money? Pam, the visit of her parents? The body and the body parts? At home, the blend of domestic comedy with the sense of menace because of the crime? Pam, nightmares, ulcer? The build-up to the confrontation, his being saved at the video store?
10. The mission for kidnapping, the chauffeur, the boyfriend, the difficulties in the garage, the cook? The film director, his daughter?
11. The family, beauty, the drink? The temple?
12. The movie director, his movies, bankruptcy, wanting extra money, the crime connections? Cisco, his getting the commission? The codes? The confrontation with Melvyn, the attack?
13. The table, the guns, the shoot-out, the chase? The cliff? The video store – and the flashbacks?
14. Melvyn surviving? Pam and her family? Cisco’s death? His relationship with Keiko, having looked after her, saving her? Eloping with her to a happy future?
15. The popularity of this slam-bang instantly forgettable kind of action movie?
