Keiner kommt hier lebend raus

Forest Whitaker is an incredible actor. He is truly an amazing actor. One of the best actors of this generation.

And in this movie, he really shines. He does a really strong performance. His voice over is really good. He plays a very troubled hit man with an identity crisis and maybe a mid life crisis. He's very troubled by his job. Troubled by his purpose in life. He gets paid well for his hitman job and he's very good at his job.

But he's very tired and very troubled by his routine. We get a lot of monologues of his inner thoughts. And I really loved this part of the movie. Forest Whitaker is talking to himself and to the audience. We get to hear everything he's feeling. We get to hear his inner conflict. We get to connect with him and his inner feelings.

The second part of the movie all deals with him taking a job and having a hard time finishing the job, having an inner conflict in hurting innocents. The second part of the movie is the conflict and turmoil between him and Sherilyn Fenn. They have a very strong and dark confrontation and the dilemma of Forest Whitaker hurting two innocents.

He has a job to do but his conscience won't let him do it. There's a lot of money on the line but he is troubled by his morality.

I really liked this movie and everyone gave good strong performances. Even the smaller roles like the psychologist was very good.

I saw this movie well after it was out, caught it about 10 minutes after is started, and was doing something else at the time the TV was on. After just a few moments, I was spell bound (I love Ms. Fenn) but she was not the one who grabbed my attention. It was this soft spoken hit man truly agonizing with the situation.

When it was on again, (you know Showtime runs the same movie multiple times a month) even though I knew the ending, (I will not spoil it) I watched it again, beginning to end. I was captivated by Forest's portrayal.

I referenced this movie to someone, and they reminded me he was in the Crying Game. I'd not made the connection.

I was told to see Ghost Dog, which I enjoyed even more.

Having just got back from seeing The Last King Of Scotland, and having watched the season he was on The Shield, I have to say Forest has turned into one of the finest actors of our time. I hope he wins his Oscar this year.

I have trouble believing this movie has so many good user reviews here, because for me it was rather poor. I understand that it's from a play, "Insider's Price", and its origins show. I usually like Forest Whitaker, the hit-man, but I think he was badly directed here. He overacts, a lot, and his narration was atrocious as in exaggerated and almost ludicrous. It wasn't even a real diary, it was a phone conversation and as such it worked even less. I get our hit-man isn't the sharpest tool in the block but the writing seemed weak with some lousy lines. The target, Sherilyn Fenn's, although looking fine, was arguably worse acting-wise, because her reactions often weren't believable or seemed emotionally fake. You see James Belushi and Sharon Stone in the credits, but they only have 5-minute cameos. Belushi's part could have easily been cut. Sharon Stone's was a bit more interesting but any actress could have done it.

The main part of the film was a confrontation between the hit-man and the target in her apartment. From the way it was shot, the confined space and the acting, it really felt theatrical there but not in a good way. I suppose some scenes would have elicited laughter in front of a audience (such as the pulling back and forth of the curtains or the cake scene), but here, they seemed out of place. I was more often puzzled by reactions than gripped by tension as to her fate and that of the baby. Also, very little action here, it was all very talkative. This film seemed very forgettable fare to me.

Rating: 3 out of 10 (poor)

Forrest Whitaker turns in a measured performance of a hitman as does Sherilyn Fenn as the potential victim. That's the bottom line with 'Diary of a Hitman'. A low budget, but effectively acted film that features quick appearances from established names Jim Belushi (as a cop) and Sharon Stone (as Fenn's characters sister).

Dekker (Whitaker) is a pro who often tells his victims "it's just business" before the final deed. Lately however those are the words he's barely able to hold onto as he sours on his line of work - the mental effects taking their toll. Looking to get out, he takes on 'the last job' from his employer Koenig (Seymour Cassel). It's an ugly number of taking out a man's wife Jain (Fenn) and child (who he says isn't his).

I gave 'Diary' a go exclusively because of Whitaker and ultimately it's the film's strongest asset. Fenn is effective, but also irritates you with her character's mannerisms and ploys to stay alive. Belushi & Stone are fun to see pop up, but don't really contribute much else. Being boxed up in one location for an extended period of the film provides tense atmosphere, but isn't visually pleasing.

Some sparse narration and visible mental deterioration from the hitman come across as convincing, but the last act is both hollow, more than a little trite. Leaving this film decidedly average, underwhelming in many regards, but still worthy of a view for Whitaker's performance. If you don't find yourself a fan you can keep moving and not have missed much.

Diary of a Hitman (1991) is a movie that I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows a Hitman that is going blind and is about to retire. He has one last job that breaks all his codes and rules which causes him to get sloppy. Will he be able to get back on track or will this assignment be his demise?

This movie is directed by Roy London (Episodes of The Larry Sanders Show) and stars Forest Whitaker (The Butler), Sharon Stone (Casino), Jim Belushi (Res Heat) and Sherilyn Fenn (Wild at Heart).

The cast in this is really good and I enjoyed the characters. The narration was entertaining and Forest Whitaker was a good main character. Sharon Stone was perfectly cast in her bit role too. The storyline and some of the sub plots didn't work for me. I'm not sure I ever felt the Hitman breaking his rules aligned to the character. A lot of the decisions seemed like a stretch. The dialogue is good. There's a church scene that is well executed. The way they portrayed his eye site was really good. The ending also felt unrealistic.

Overall, this was worth a watch but doesn't overly standout within the movies about hitmen (it's not Leon: The Professional). I would consider this an average to slightly above average movie and score this a 5.5/10.