Hit Man

Largely because I read Pam Grier was in this, I was curious about seeing Hit Man so when I found it at my local library, I snapped it up! She plays a porn film actress who eventually gets on lead Bernie Casey's bad side because of something involving a relative of his she did something bad to. Casey is looking for info on why his brother was found dead but the people he runs into tell him nothing but lies. Plenty of sex and nudity (Yes, Ms. Grier is one of those who unclothe themselves) and some violence sprinkled throughout. I must admit I couldn't keep track on why certain sequences were happening but for the most part, I didn't care. So on that note, Hit Man is worth a look for anyone very interested in these blaxploitation pics from the early '70s.

Blaxploitation remake of Get Carter about a man (Bernie Casey) investigating the death of his brother. Ample doses of sex, violence, and humor. Colorful language and stereotypical characters might turn easily offended viewers off. Bernie Casey makes for a solid blaxploitation protagonist: tough, cool, and magic with the ladies. Pam Grier is sexy as always and appears in all her glory. The character she plays is scummy and meets a particularly gruesome end. Lisa Moore is amusing as the motel manager with the hots for Casey and has some great lines. Marilyn Joi has a couple of brief but memorable scenes as the aptly-named Rita Biggs. Early role for Paul Gleason as a policeman/hit-man. A good movie that, like the best of the genre, rises above its gritty subject matter and manages to entertain not depress.

As a big fan of 'Get Carter,' I watched this on cable TV for a laugh and wasn't disappointed. It is a funky blaxploitation movie to rival 'Shaft' and a pretty fair remake of 'Carter,' much better than the Stallone nonsense of a couple of years back. It was fun matching scenes from the original especially the 'phone sex, which just killed me. Very funny and pretty cool!

George Armitage's "Hit Man" is a blaxploitation version of Ted Lewis's novel "Jack's Return Home", more famously filmed as "Get Carter" starring Michael Caine. It's got what we expect in one of these movies: afros, wide-collared shirts, and lots of smooth talk. There's nothing particularly serious about the plot; it's all about the fun stuff. Bernie Casey as the main character is a cool dude, while Pam Grier isn't as tough as in most of her roles. But the movie delivers what it promises. It turns out that Armitage also directed "Grosse Pointe Blank". Tyrone aims to please (to reference the movie's tagline), and he succeeds.

I might eventually read "Jack's Return Home", but it could be decades, considering how long it takes me to get through books.

I first saw this movie at a Blaxploitation Film Festival in 1992. Bhetty Whaldron and Roger Mosley {The Mack was also shown} were among the guest stars. Mosley admitted in the post film commentary the everybody knew that it was a black version of Get Carter. It came under fire at the time of it's release for it's racial stereotypes, but it was a big hit at the drive ins and neighborhood theaters across the country. Bernie Casey was better know at the time for his NFL career but would come to be regarded as a handsome and talented leading man and of course the incredibly beautiful Pam Grier was on her way to becoming a cult movie legend.This is a real guilty pleasure film and is a real time capsule piece to see how black men and women were coming to be regarded in 1970's cinema.