Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalHispanic Heritage MonthIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Hit List

  • 1989
  • R
  • 1h 27m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
750
YOUR RATING
Jan-Michael Vincent in Hit List (1989)
ActionThriller

A family man and a mob witness hunt for a hit-man who has mistakenly kidnapped the family man's son.A family man and a mob witness hunt for a hit-man who has mistakenly kidnapped the family man's son.A family man and a mob witness hunt for a hit-man who has mistakenly kidnapped the family man's son.

  • Director
    • William Lustig
  • Writers
    • Aubrey K. Rattan
    • John F. Goff
    • Peter Brosnan
  • Stars
    • Jan-Michael Vincent
    • Leo Rossi
    • Lance Henriksen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    750
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • William Lustig
    • Writers
      • Aubrey K. Rattan
      • John F. Goff
      • Peter Brosnan
    • Stars
      • Jan-Michael Vincent
      • Leo Rossi
      • Lance Henriksen
    • 16User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos20

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 14
    View Poster

    Top cast33

    Edit
    Jan-Michael Vincent
    Jan-Michael Vincent
    • Jack Collins
    Leo Rossi
    Leo Rossi
    • Frank DeSalvo
    Lance Henriksen
    Lance Henriksen
    • Chris Caleek
    Charles Napier
    Charles Napier
    • Tom Mitchum
    Rip Torn
    Rip Torn
    • Vic Luca
    Harold Sylvester
    Harold Sylvester
    • Brian Armstrong
    Jere Burns
    Jere Burns
    • Jared Riley
    Harriet Hall
    • Sandy Collins
    Ken Lerner
    Ken Lerner
    • Gravenstein
    Jack Andreozzi
    Jack Andreozzi
    • Abe Fasio
    Nick Barbaro
    • Mario
    Lou Bonacki
    • Johnson
    Barry Brenner
    Barry Brenner
    • Doctor
    Geoff Brewer
    • Brock
    Richard E. Butler
    • Wink
    Christopher Carroll
    • Priest
    Robert A. Ferretti
    Robert A. Ferretti
    • Vincent Carelli
    John F. Goff
    John F. Goff
    • Prosecutor
    • Director
      • William Lustig
    • Writers
      • Aubrey K. Rattan
      • John F. Goff
      • Peter Brosnan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    5.6750
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    HughBennie-777

    Formidable Action Flick With Troubled Star

    It's too bad that a solid cast of character actors working with a decent genre director can't quite improve upon, or merely disguise, their lead's mumbly, slurring performance. I remember seeing the film and wondering why so much of Jan-Michael Vincent's acting was dubbed, and why there were so many single shots of him by himself, the other actors being cut in for individual lines of dialogue, etc.

    According to director William Lustig, Vincent was so inebriated they oftentimes had to just prop him up in some of the master shots and let the other actors "act around" the poor guy. One scene he's even lying down on a backyard bench.

    If anything, it gives Lance Henriksen more room to chew up a lot of scenery, and then, of course, there's the stunts. Lots and lots of them. This is one movie that doesn't necessarily make you disappreciate dynamic car pursuits, but the tire squealing is enough to make you don headphones and listen to good heavy metal for the duration of the chases, especially the parking structure one.

    All in all, it's a watchable movie. I especially like one of Vincent's decipherable lines (one that he repeats quite a few times) "But he's got my kid!!" because he says it with about as much despair as if he'd just ran out of cigarettes.
    6merklekranz

    You've seen it all before ... but ................

    This hide and seek drama between the police with mob witnesses and the mob hit men who want to kill them, is played for maximum excitement and maximum stunt work in "Hit List". Even though Jan-Michael Vincent and Leo Rossi have top billing, it is Lance Henriksen and Charles Napier who carry the film. Rip Torn is the mob boss who sends an unhinged Henriksen after F.B.I. witness, Rossi. When the hit goes wrong and Vincent's son is kidnapped, all hell breaks loose. Seeing Lance Henriksen selling womens shoes is worth the ticket price by itself. Throw in some intense action, while throwing out most logic, and you pretty much have the idea. .................................. - MERK
    6lost-in-limbo

    "This guy is going to be trouble".

    Film-maker William Lustig had made a sleeper in the shape of "Relentless" in 1989, but also that year he did the worthwhile 80s low-budget revenge thriller "Hit List" which kind of went by unnoticed between the "Maniac Cop" features. A mafia boss Luca organises for his hit-man to get rid of a witness Frank who's under police custody, but the guy takes out the wrong people and kidnaps the wrong son. The husband Mark comes home to find his friend dead, his pregnant wife injured and his son gone. The FBI wants Luca to believe he has the witness's son, so their witness can testify, but this means putting Mark behind bars until that happens. Overhearing the plans, Mark flees and kidnaps Frank in the hope of tracking down his son.

    "Hit List" is a gritty urban action thriller that is as systematic as you can get, but director Lustig does a competently slick job and the mouth-watering cast he had at his disposal simply aimed up. Jan-Michael Vincent, Lance Henriksen, Leo Rossi, Charles Napier, Rip Torn, Ken Learner and Harold Sylvester. Henriksen is ultimately unforgettable as the deadly hit-man, who also happens to be a shoe salesman by trade. Would you dare ask for a discount? Not when you see this guy in his grove. Vincent goes about things in very hardened manner and Rossi is in good form as the humorous wise-guy. An excellent Napier gives a crusty turn as the FBI agent and Torn gives his Mafia boss plenty of fire and weight. The cast are excellent and they needed to be, as the pulpy plot was too basic and somewhat unspectacular even with its calculative suspense and tough brutality (a shootout in a kid's laser zone, where everyone just goes about their business?!). It doesn't entirely go all-out, as the hardy script does take its time for the character's to some degree open up with a bit of drama. Lustig's taut style suited the inventively agile photography and the go-for-broke stunt-work and stunt-car driving provided some fatal excitement in its absurd climax.

    "Hit List" is a gratuitously neat little action joint, which doesn't ask much of your time.

    "Maybe it's your world, but it's my kid".
    Dethcharm

    Not Your Typical Shoe Salesman...

    Director William Lustig's HIT LIST opens with the most audacious, astonishing funeral scene ever filmed! The scene then switches to suburbia, where Jan-Michael Vincent stars as unassuming family man Jack Collins. After a mix-up causes a ruthless mob hitman (Lance Henriksen) to mistakenly arrive at Jack's house, tragedy ensues.

    This all has to do with a certain mob boss (Rip Torn), who was trying to take care of a pair of informants. Now, Collins must rescue his son from the hitman's clutches, and avenge the loss he's suffered.

    HIT LIST is a simple, but satisfying crime / revenge thriller from Mr. Lustig. While Vincent is adequate in his role, it's Henriksen's maniacal character who steals the show! The final showdown is one for the books!...
    7The_Void

    Familiar territory for William Lustig, but he treads it well

    William Lustig certainly knows how to direct a gritty city based thriller; he succeeded admirably with the fantastically entertaining Maniac Cop series, and while Hit List isn't quite as memorable - it's still more than entertaining enough, and I'm sure any fan of Lustig's work won't regret tracking it down. It's slightly more serious overall than the majority of the rest of Lustig's filmography, although the director still manages to find time for some humour, and while the action isn't exactly groundbreaking - the film is, at least, not boring for a minute. The basis for the plot focuses on Vic Luca; a big-mouthed mob boss who is set to appear in court for his crimes. However, given his powers as the head of a criminal organisation, it's not difficult for him to track down and kill all the witnesses; much to the dismay of hard-bitten cop Tom Mitchum, who wants to see Luca rot in jail. The plot thickens when Luca's assassin Chris Caleek goes to kill witness Frank DeSalvo and ends up getting the wrong house, and kidnapping ordinary man Jack Collins' son...

    William Lustig has put together a good cast for this film, with the likes of Lance Henriksen standing out the most and getting good support from memorable actors such as Charles Napier, Rip Torn, Jan-Michael Vincent and Leo Rossi. As he showed with the Maniac Cop films, Lustig certainly has an eye for atmosphere and this film revels in the same gritty urban feel as the earlier films did. I've got to say that I'm surprised this film isn't better known really; it may not have quite the same appeal that Maniac Cop did, but it's great fun and makes for easy viewing. The characters are all drawn in an intriguing manner, as no two are similar and thanks to the cast of character actors - all manage to be memorable in their own right. The film obviously had budget constraints as there's not a great deal of action sequences, and the ones that do feature aren't exactly over the top; but Lustig makes good use of his assets, and Hit List could have been a lot worse. It all boils down to a conclusion that isn't hard to see coming, but its good fun getting there and overall, I won't hesitate to recommend this film to anyone who can find it.

    More like this

    Vigilante
    6.5
    Vigilante
    Relentless
    5.9
    Relentless
    The Mad Bomber
    5.8
    The Mad Bomber
    Maniac Cop
    6.0
    Maniac Cop
    Truck Turner
    6.9
    Truck Turner
    Deadly Friend
    5.6
    Deadly Friend
    Best Seller
    6.4
    Best Seller
    Eyes of Laura Mars
    6.2
    Eyes of Laura Mars
    The Outfit
    7.0
    The Outfit
    Love & Basketball
    7.2
    Love & Basketball
    Toy Soldiers
    6.6
    Toy Soldiers
    Ghost Warrior
    5.2
    Ghost Warrior

    Related interests

    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For several days, William Lustig directed the film from his limo, complaining about cold weather.
    • Goofs
      Mobster Luca taunts Agent Mitchum at the curb of the Gran Jury steps; in frustration Mitchum shoots Luca in the chest. The bullets slam Luca's body against the white limousine. The sliding actor's back slowly reveals a large rectangular dye pack trailing beside his left arm.
    • Quotes

      Frank DeSalvo: [Seeing Caleek working in a shoe store helping a woman] There he is. Oh! Look at her. I'll betcha she ain't wearin' no panties. If that was me, I'd *bang* her right there. Front of everybody. I wouldn't give a shit.

      Jack Collins: That's the guy that killed Brian? That's the guy that's got my son?

      Frank DeSalvo: Hey, Collins... that guy is so twisted when he dies you'll have to screw him in the ground. He's killed so many people he owns his own cemetery.

      Jack Collins: Let's take him!

    • Connections
      Referenced in Urban Legend (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Bad News
      Written by Robby Weaver and Rusty Weaver

      (C) Burtus Publishing (EMI)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ17

    • How long is Hit List?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 3, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Hell to Pay
    • Filming locations
      • Evergreen Cemetery - 204 North Evergreen Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA(Opening cemetery sceen)
    • Production companies
      • Cinetel Films
      • Hit List Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,564
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,195
      • Mar 5, 1989
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,564
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 27m(87 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Ultra Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.