The Hitman by Wei Tung (Review)

I wouldn’t call this one a “must-see,” but if you have a chance to see it, and would like to see more of Jet Li, you certainly can’t go wrong.
The Hitman - Wei Tung

I love movies about hitmen. I realize that it’s a completely reprehensible occupation, but as portrayed in movies, hitmen almost always take on this cool, myserious, offbeat air that I find highly entertaining. Whether it’s one of John Woo’s highly stylized, poetically violent films (especially those starring Chow Yun-Fat, like The Killer), or even more recent films like The Professional and even Gross Pointe Blank, these are some of my favorite movies. I’ve also grown to love the films of Jet Li. The first Li movie I ever saw was Fist of Legend, which has become my favorite martial arts film. Subsequent Li films, like My Father Is a Hero and The Bodyguard From Beijing, though entertaining, packed nowhere near the punch that Fist of Legend had.

The Hitman, Li’s last Hong Kong production before being exposed to American audiences in Lethal Weapon 4, has surpassed both My Father Is a Hero and The Bodyguard From Beijing on my list, though it’s still a distant second to Fist of Legend. Li plays Fu, a poor, inept hitman trying to make it big so he can build his mother a big house and provide for her. One day, he hears about a big job that could solve all of his financial problems. An anonymouse hitman/vigilante (“The Killing Angel”) has been striking criminals throughout the city. His latest target was a wealthy Japanese businessman. However, before he was killed, the businessman set up a fund to pay $100,000,000 to anyone who was able to kill his killer.

Fu tries to join the hunt, but is unable to get into the hitman conferences. That’s when he meets Nor (Eric Tsang), a shifty man who serves as Fu’s agent and sets him up in the hitman underworld. Meanwhile, a detective (Simon Yam) is carefully monitoring all of this hitman, hoping to crack the case and find “The Killing Angel.” Fu and Nor get closer and closer to the “Killing Angel,” as well as the murdered businessman’s grandson, who is intent on avenging his grandfather’s death, and Nor’s daughter, Kiki (Gigi Leung), who is sick of her father’s criminal ways.

The real magic of the film is the chemistry between Fu and Nor. Taking Fu under his tutelage, he shows the inexperienced Fu the ropes, wowing him with flashy talk and clothes. The other high point of the movie is its cheeky lampooning of hitman movies in general. The best example of this is when Nor takes Fu to get some clean suits — Fu tries on various outfits, including Chow Yun-Fat’s outfit from The Killer (complete with toothpick) and Jean Reno’s outfit from The Professional (complete with potted plant). There are other nice jabs at John Woo’s films and trademark shots (such as slow motion), but they’re done with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Li also does a great job throughout the entire film, playing Fu as a charming, if somewhat bumbling hitman who really has no stomach for killing. However, it’s Tsang that really shines, especially in scenes involving his daughter, where he must atone for neglecting her as a child in order to become a successful criminal. But throughout most of the movie, he serves as comedic relief, and you can tell he really enjoys this role and hams it up for the camera.

Action-wise, the movie is pretty good. There were less martial arts than I was hoping for, though Li is as fast and precise as always. I’m always amazed by how smooth and quick this guy is. There are no scenes that just blow me away, but there’s plenty of solid action (especially Li’s fight with a fellow hitman in an elevator shaft).

I wouldn’t call this one a “must-see,” but if you have a chance to see it, and would like to see more of Jet Li, you certainly can’t go wrong. The film has a very professional, high budget feel to it, even if they reuse some footage throughout the film. Of all of the films I’ve seen, this is the closest Jet Li has come to doing a Jackie Chan kind of film. I don’t say that to compare the two, because they both certainly stand on their own merits. However, it does have a Chan-esque blend of action and humor, as well as plenty of humorous jabs at hitman and Hong Kong movies in general.

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