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Hit Me

  • 1996
  • R
  • 2h 5m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
536
YOUR RATING
Elias Koteas, William H. Macy, and Laure Marsac in Hit Me (1996)
Trailer
Play trailer2:09
1 Video
56 Photos
CrimeDramaThriller

Sonny lives with his intellectually disabled older brother, and works as a bellhop at a second-rate hotel. This changes when Monique a beautiful, suicidal nut-case checks in. Sonny is offere... Read allSonny lives with his intellectually disabled older brother, and works as a bellhop at a second-rate hotel. This changes when Monique a beautiful, suicidal nut-case checks in. Sonny is offered a part in a heist that goes wrong.Sonny lives with his intellectually disabled older brother, and works as a bellhop at a second-rate hotel. This changes when Monique a beautiful, suicidal nut-case checks in. Sonny is offered a part in a heist that goes wrong.

  • Director
    • Steven Shainberg
  • Writers
    • Jim Thompson
    • Denis Johnson
  • Stars
    • Elias Koteas
    • Laure Marsac
    • Jay Leggett
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.4/10
    536
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Steven Shainberg
    • Writers
      • Jim Thompson
      • Denis Johnson
    • Stars
      • Elias Koteas
      • Laure Marsac
      • Jay Leggett
    • 11User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Hit Me
    Trailer 2:09
    Hit Me

    Photos56

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    Top cast14

    Edit
    Elias Koteas
    Elias Koteas
    • Sonny Rose
    Laure Marsac
    Laure Marsac
    • Monique Roux
    Jay Leggett
    Jay Leggett
    • Leroy Rose
    Bruce Ramsay
    Bruce Ramsay
    • Del Towbridge
    Kevin J. O'Connor
    Kevin J. O'Connor
    • Cougar
    Philip Baker Hall
    Philip Baker Hall
    • Lenny Ish
    J.C. Quinn
    • Fred Bascomb
    Haing S. Ngor
    Haing S. Ngor
    • Billy Tungpet
    William H. Macy
    William H. Macy
    • Policeman
    Jack Conley
    Jack Conley
    • Mr. Ish's Bodyguard
    Arthur Senzy
    Arthur Senzy
    • Peter Stillwell
    Tom Lillard
    • Patron
    Roberta Bassin
    Roberta Bassin
    • Mennonite Woman
    • (uncredited)
    Vanessa Marquez
    Vanessa Marquez
    • Housekeeper
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Steven Shainberg
    • Writers
      • Jim Thompson
      • Denis Johnson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews11

    5.4536
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    Featured reviews

    9duffmckagan

    quite interesting, great performance by elias koteas

    This movie kind of took me by surprise. I thought it was going to be another semi boring heist flick, but it wasn't. I think it had some genuinely interesting points to make about one's own desperation and greed.

    The movie tells the story of a lonely and frustrated bellhop (koteas)who stumbles into a plan to rob a group of wealthy card sharks who are going to take part in an illegal poker game. A slew of mistakes and fumbles occur which leads to an unfortunate (in my opnion) ending.

    Koteas gives a very edgy performance and makes the movie all by himself. The rest of the cast also does their part too, in particular the actor who plays koteas's childlike brother, quite a convincing portrayal.

    I give "Hit Me" 9 out of 10
    sep1051

    Bad acting

    With the success of Secretary director Steven Shainberg's earlier film Hit Me nows comes out on DVD. Unfortunately Hit Me would have benefited from a more experienced director adapting the source material, Jim Thompson's novel A Swell Looking Babe. Thompson's work has been extremely difficult to film inasmuch as most of his writing relates to the inner thoughts and emotions of his characters, rather that simply plot and dialog. Director Shainberg and leading man Elias Koteas attempt to deal with this through an over the top display of physical acting. If facial contortions represent emotion then obviously even more facial contortions represents even more emotion. This is combined with leading lady Laure Marsac who is blank faced throughout the film (although this French actress might have had trouble in English). Jim Thompson's novels contain a strong element of black comedy and initially, based on these acting choices and the bright lighting not associated with noir films, I thought Shainberg was going for black comedy. Imagine my surprise, as the film progressed and I discovered that we were supposed to take this seriously. It completely fails to work. It is not dark enough to reflect Thompson's noir and not comedic enough to reflect Thompson's black comedy. These choices ultimately have to laid at the feet of director Shainberg. Of the lesser characters, William H. Macy, highlighted in the DVD advertising, has a single short scene as a cop questioning Koteas. Macy is amusing as he cites the last meals of various killers. Philip Baker Hall uses his strong presence to offset a poorly written character. Tragically this was Haing S. Ngor's last film before he was senselessly killed in a robbery. He has only a few lines, as a hotel clerk, and its sad to think that this is the last role for an Academy award winner (The Killing Fields). All in all, you would be more entertained buying Thompson's novel than buying this DVD.
    2anhedonia

    An insult to Jim Thompson

    This is an utterly putrid film of Jim Thompson's terrific novel, "A Swell-Looking Babe." In adapting the book for the screen, writer Denis Johnson has stripped the novel of all its dark humor and subtext and given us a tepid and dull film.

    Gone are the father and the whole McCarthyism subplot, which is crucial to what the protagonist does. And Thompson's denouement was dripping with irony.

    Thompson's protagonist was a multi-layered character who had good reasons for what he did. Here, Elias Koteas is just a boring hotel employee. No offense to the actress who plays the femme fatale, but the role needs someone with a lot more substance than she brings to it.

    William H. Macy might be highlighted on the DVD box, but he has just one scene. That's it. Come to think of it, he might have been better in the lead role.

    Do yourself a favor. Instead of renting this piece of crap, read the novel. Your time and money would be better spent.
    jsimon050

    Made me want to hit myself

    I waited patiently for Koteas' agonizingly slow and neurotic performance to pay off. Just when I thought I was going to be rewarded, I was not. By the end I wanted them all to get shot, including the lovely French Canadian woman. I must say, however, that I thought that the film was beautifully shot and faithful, at least partially, to the film-noir ideal. Unfortunately, none of the characters performances made the plot bearable. Even the title has little relevance. They never showed a card game, any card game. I would have settled for the Windows 95 version of solitaire by the end. I was reminded of a watered-down cross between Cronnenberg and Lynch.
    4donjuanfer

    Koteas is the only thing worth seeing

    Terrible movie. We can definitely tell is the director's debut. The only thing worth was Koteas' performance. Otherwise it seems like a film made by high school kids. It has hints of a black comedy, but in the end it's not. It has a few plot twists but they are completely predictable. I will be taking the DVD to resell it at Blockbuster. I wouldn't want anyone to take a look at my DVD collection and see this thing in there. That would be embarrassing. I have to give it a couple of points because at least at the beginning it tries to give you a background on the reasons why Koteas did what he did, but the way the movie develops is poorly executed.

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    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Haing S. Ngor's last film.
    • Goofs
      When Sonny goes outside to the parking lot to wait for Leroy to show up with the car, his jacket is totally clean with no blood on it. In the shots immediately before and after this, his jacket is spattered with blood on the left shoulder.
    • Quotes

      Lenny Ish: What is the *worst* thing that you have ever done?

      Sonny Rose: Me? Uh, uh... I don't really know.

      Lenny Ish: That means you haven't done it yet.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Dinner for Five: Episode #2.13 (2003)

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    FAQ16

    • How long is Hit Me?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 25, 1998 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Ice Cream Dimension
    • Production company
      • Slough Pond
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $12,500
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,348
      • Oct 4, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $12,500
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 5m(125 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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