The Hitman (1991) User Reviews

Undercover Norris Is Better than Most Other Efforts

[CitizenCaine · 5/10 · 18 July 2009]

Chuck Norris once again attempted to expand his range a little with this action/thriller showcasing Norris' ability with a gun as well as his trademark kicks and punches. He plays a cop gone undercover after barely surviving a double-cross from a partner gone dirty. Michael Parks, who is always an interesting actor to watch, plays the dirty partner. While undercover, Norris tries to ferret out what's going on amongst three different ethnic mobs. While the mob action makes little sense, it's a good excuse for lots of gun play, semi-torture, and Norris pushing guys around while trying to play up a domestic side of his character mentoring a young fatherless boy. Norris is better than usual in this film and is usually so when not taking himself or the film he's in too seriously. His acting range is quite limited, and previous efforts of his to expand have backfired due to tired, formulaic scripts that failed to differ from film to film. Even though the film is nothing spectacular, it does contain some good stunt work and great action scenes throughout. Parks is again a heavy, and it's unfortunate he's rarely given a chance to stretch his range. ** of 4 stars.

Not a great action flick, but there is a nice twist...

[impossibledreamers · 6/10 · 28 March 2004]

Chuck's character in this go-round is an undercover cop who was supposed to have been killed by his corrupt ex-partner (Michael Parks).

But, his cover (a hitter for the Italian mob in Seattle) is so deep he actively is whacking French-Canadian thugs and a new Iranian threat while trying to put away the people he works for.

The twist is that Chuck's near-death experience gives his character an odd perspective on death. He's actually become less serious, more sensitive than his life as a cop. The few funny moments may not make up for it not being a great film but they're there.

Example - Chuck arrives in Vancouver to discuss a potential truce. After having his handgun taken from him, Chuck knocks a thug on his ass and the guy is looking down a double-barrel, over-and-under shotgun. Chuck quips, "You missed one."

Chuck is a hit-man...well sort of.

[Aaron1375 · 6/10 · 17 December 2009]

This was an okay movie by Chuck Norris, probably the last sort of good film I saw him in. Like most Norris movies it has a certain appeal mainly thanks to Norris himself, but it also has flaws that prevent this film from being anything special. Add to that an annoying plot point involving a kid and you just have to take a point or two more points off a film that if it had worked on some story elements could have been one of Chuck's best films instead once again another middle of the road film. In it Chuck is not a hit-man, but rather a cop who is undercover working with the mob hoping to find who is behind a crime in his past. There are some good action scenes in this one and I love the gun Chuck Norris uses as it is a nifty double barrel shotgun with the barrels being one on top of the other rather than the typical side by side. Do not ask me why I love the double barreled shotgun that is sawed off. I like the one in the "Mad Max" series though that is the more typical one. This film though is a nice watch, just nothing to take seriously. It needs a bit of work on the story and they need to lose the kid and the stupid scene at the aquarium. Overall, I thought it was okay though.

smooth flowing action movie with humane Norris

[moviestosee · 19 June 2004]

The action scenes are nicely orchestrated and not overdone for this day and age. Norris' anti-racist stance by punching out a racial bigot gives him a very humane and caring character in spite of being a hit man. I particularly like the part where he intrudes on a group of Islamic gangsters eating food, sticks his fingers in their food, tastes it and comments "Do you guys really eat this sh**? Michael Parks and Al Waxman are excellent in their supporting roles. The movie nicely combines Norris' neighbourly concern over the plight of a tenant and her son with his undercover police assignment to take down the bad guys. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this movie a 7.

Expert and vet cop played by Norris, in his usual style, pits himself against the underworld in Seattle

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 6 December 2019]

So-so action movie with Norris in the lead, you can take it for granted there will be plenty of shootouts, kicks and violence. Frantic action abounds in this modern-day mobster movie which pits our protagonist versus three different and bloody gangs. Unorthodox Norris plays an undercover cop as a Syndicate hitman in Seattle, as he carries out a merciless vengeance against sadistic, corrupt gangsters. As the unundercover policeman cleans up town crime by triggering a three-way mob bloodbath, beastly Italian mafiosi (Mafia boss results to be Al Waxman), snotty French-Canadian mafia (led by Joel Derouin) and Iranian hoods formed by the fanatical traditional scum. Along the way Norris informs the police chief (Ken Pogue) about his hidden activities and while he teaches a black kid martial arts to defend himself against abusive boys, so you know he is politically correct.

Typical Chuck Norris film with usual ingredients as thrills, high body-count, noisy action, crossfire, kick-ass and grisly killings . This one concerns a vet cop leads an one-man fight against corruption and mobsters from Seattle, and plenty of kicking and ominuous, heinous murders. As the picture contains a record-setting amount of people killed at Washington State. Here Norris is a bit less animated than a wooden Indian and the acting is more painful to endure than the violence. As mobsters are being mysteriously eliminated one by one and Karate expert Norris saves the day in this ordinary entry in action genre. Action addicts will give this a passing grade, all others need to apply. The picture was professional, though uneven, made by Aaron Norris, Chuck's brother, who directed him in various films. This one results to be a run-of-the-mill action movie but worthy entry to Norris career. Norris is well accompanied by an acceptable support cast such as : Alberta Watson, Al Waxman, George B Davis, Marcel Sabourin, Ken Pogue and special mention for Michael Parks playing magnificently an extreme villain.

This one belongs to the last period in Norris' long career. His first times played by low budget films as Breaker Breaker, Slaughter in San Francisco, Force of one. Subsequently, in his intermediate period, he made films in medium budget as Good guys wear black, Octagon, An eye of eye, Silent rage, Forced vengeance, Braddock :Missing in action I and II, Hero and the terror. He went on performing pictures in a greatest budgets and best filmmakers as Invasion USA, Firewalker, Lone Wolf McQuade, Delta Force, Delta Force 2 operation stronhold, Code of silence. And, finally, after his successful acting in Walker Texas Ranger , he played in short budgets and B-directors as Forest Warrior, Top dog, Hellbound, Sidekicks and this The Hitman.Rating 5.5/10. Regular and routine Chuck Norris film but acceptable and passable. The motion picture will appeal to action buffs and Norris fans.

Bland Chuck Norris actioner.

[poolandrews · 3/10 · 15 February 2008]

The Hit-man (the annoying IMDb spell-check automatically corrects the correct spelling without the '-' to Hit-man) starts as Officer Cliff Garrett (Chuck Norris) & his partner Ronald 'Del' Delany (Michael Parks) are about to bust some drug smugglers when Del turns on Cliff & shoots him. Miracuously Cliff survives against all the odds, jump forward 3 Years Later in Seattle, Washington & after having recovered Cliff is angry. Having changed his name to Danny Grogan he manages to infiltrate the biggest drug dealer in Washington's gang as his hit-man, the guy this drug dealer named Marco Luganni (Al Waxman) turns to if he wants someone out of the way. Recently Andre Lacombe (Marcel Sabourin) the main drug dealer from Vancouver has started to move into Luganni's territory so he sends Grogan to deal with him, as the bullets fly & people start to get killed a gang of Iranian's lead by Grogan's ex-partner Del also joins the fun & Grogon senses his opportunity to bring down lots of bad guy's all at the same time...

This American Canadian co-production was directed by Chuck's brother Aaron Norris & is quite frankly pretty poor stuff from start to finish. Although bearing the infamous Cannon Group logo The Hit-man was only distributed by them & had nothing to do with Golan or Globus despite the two Israeli producers often using Chuck Norris in their own films. The script by Galen Thompson is a really lifeless & dull affair about an undercover cop using two warring drug cartels against each other & then discovers the person who shot him is involved as well which leads to some personal revenge type motives. The Hit-man really is a very pedestrian & bland film, virtually nothing happens, there are a grand total of two fights (one in an Iranian bar & one at the very end), some utterly forgettable shoot outs where a few people are shot, one car gets blown up & another is crushed & that is it. There's far too much drama, personal angst & awful dialogue for The Hit-man to be enjoyable. There seems like huge sequences where literally next to nothing happens, seriously this is one of the most least action packed films I've seen recently. Then there's the embarrassing scenes with Chuck Norris trying to be kind & caring towards a young black kid (all the kid needs now is a bushy moustache), the scenes where he teaches the little kid karate are hilariously bad. I mean yeah, that's a great example to the kid isn't it? Fight violence with violence! The Hit-man is bad, very bad & it's not unintentionally funny enough to be entertaining either.

Director Norris does alright & The Hit-man is competently made but it's so lifeless, bland & forgettable it's untrue. There is not one single memorable sequence in The Hit-man as far as I was concerned, I was throughly bored sitting there watching it. It's utterly predictable, there's not enough decent action & some of the sentimental drama stuff is really embarrassing as Chuck Norris actually tries to act (noooooooooooooooo!). We first Chuck in The Hit-man with a really bushy moustache but after he comes back from the dead he has a full beard & really long hair which just looks awful & very late 80's. He doesn't even get to beat many people up which is disappointing all by itself. The violence is tame although some scumbag drug dealing Iranian has both his legs blown off with by Chuck's shotgun. Nice, 'ave it!

Technically the film is OK but functional at best, it's certainly not exciting & is so slow going it becomes a real chore to sit through. The acting is terrible, Norris can't & since there's not enough action for him to get stuck into it becomes very noticeable.

The Hit-man is a really, really bland, dull & lifeless Chuck Norris action film with hardly any action in it. The film also seems to have a sentimental side as well which is just horrible & not fun to sit through. One of Chuck's worst & that's saying something, isn't it?

"I'm not here to discuss evolution"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 4/10 · 31 October 2021]

I must admit Chuck Norris has a nice smile but he's not much of an actor. Fine in the action scenes but dramatically a dud. But then there is not much of a story in this film. Cop who seemingly dies but doesn't goes undercover a year later to destroy some mobsters, American, Canadian and Iranian. Nothing new at all. Norris as Cliff Garrett / Grogan is given a sub-plot with a bullied boy to give his character depth but it doesn't work. The best character is Ronny 'Del' Delaney played by the always welcome Michael Parks (Why was he never a bigger star?) but he disappears from the film for over an hour and consequently the story suffers. There are other villains but they pale beside Mr. Parks. It's another low calibre Cannon film.

chuck vs the mafia

[ghostman16 · 7/10 · 4 April 2007]

Chuck Norris has made some good films (invasion USA)and some bad films (force of one)most of his films are good on action and The Hit-man is no exception.chuck plays cliff garret a cop who goes undercover as a hit-man for the mafia and takes on the Persian mob.whilst undercover cliff becomes friends with a young black kid who is getting bullied by a gang of kids so cliff takes him under his wing and teaches him self defence.what The Hit-man lacks in story it makes up in action. the only sidekick chuck has in this film is his unique sawn off shotgun and an incredible martial arts skill.Hit-man is quite a rare film so when i saw it was on telly i quickly recorded it on video and i am glad i did. chuck does an okay performance probably the best we can get from him and the actor and actress in the film are okay to. to end the review i will just say the Hit-man is not the best film ever but it is certainly fun to watch 7 out of 10.

Norris best movie in the 90's which doesn't really mean much

[Maziun · 2/10 · 26 August 2013]

Originally envisioned as a vehicle for Charles Bronson this movie uses pretty much the same story you have seen in Kurosawa's "Yojimbo " , Sergio Leone's "Fistful of dollars" or Walter Hill's "Last man standing" - a guy wants two gangs to kill each other , so he tricks them in a war. The only original part of the screenplay is the pretty cute if not out of place subplot of Norris helping little kid to deal with bully. The story Chuck Norris' character tells about being harassed by a bully actually did happen to Norris while he was growing up.

The cinematography is cool , the movie looks pretty atmospheric at night. Norris looks actually pretty badass with his beard , mullet and trench coat.

Aaron Norris' somehow managed to competently direct for once. This is his best movie. It's not boring and it helped me to kill some time when I was bored. It's the stuff you can see late at night on cable-TV.

If you like Norris you probably will like this movie . If you don't like him , it's unlikely that you will become a fan after this movie . I give it 2/10.

Michael Parks Fantastic in Yet Another Nothing Movie Few Saw

[curtis-8 · 7/10 · 2 March 2006]

This is a damn good Chuck Norris movie. Of course that doesn't make it a movie you could recommend to just anyone as "good," but if you look at it as part of its own sub-genre--say the Chuck Norris/Jean Claude Van Damme/Stephen Segal sub-genre--then it is pretty damn good in comparison. And I had never heard of it before today! The story leaves much to be desired, but this is the kind of low-budget action movie they just don't make any more: slick and goofy, crass and sentimental, moral and ultraviolent, "funny bad" and just plain funny--all at the same time. But the standout feature is definitely the great Michael Parks. Just as he did in the similarly obscure Charles Bronson flick "Death Wish V: The Face of Death," and in his "From Dusk Until Dawn" cameo, Parks takes charge of every scene he's in and simply walks away with the movie. Why hasn't this brilliant actor been given leading roles? He has been so fascinating to watch in everything I've seen him, especially in his later years.

I would think that even Chuck Norris has standards, but, apparently, I was wrong

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 5/10 · 2 August 2004]

I can't say very much positive about this film; it's pretty much the typical, average action film, but it has so many horrendously bad parts and so unbelievably few good parts that it can only just be classified as average. Had it been slightly worse, it wouldn't even have gotten the 5 I'm giving it, which is even partly due to my being in a good mood now. The plot is nearly non-existent, as well as it's lifted straight out of plenty of other, better action movies. The pace is painfully slow; the film is incredibly hard to sit through. The acting is laughable. The characters are poorly written, ill-conceived cliches. Even the soundtrack/score is bad. There was a point where I actually burst out laughing from the sheer stupidity of the soundtrack, and the directors poorly done, entirely failed attempt at creating the slightest bit of atmosphere. The direction is lazy and uninventive. The cinematography is forgettable, and often looks like the cameraman is asleep. The action is decent, but often far too gory for a regular type of action film; if it was thriller/action or horror/action, sure, but not regular action. Guys don't see action movies to see throats being cut in graphic detail, or people coughing up ridiculous amounts of blood; they watch it to see people blowing each other away with guns and/or explosives. And what the hell was up with the knees being blown away in that last scene? It's not that it was so poorly done(which it certainly was), it's that it's completely unnecessary. We neither expect nor want to see such gruesome violence in a standard action film. The dialog is ludicrously bad, and often unintentionally funny. I'm also baffled at what the point or message of the fight between the two kids was supposed to be; I get that the father was the reason for the kid being violent, and that violence only spawns more violence, but what the hell did Chuck punch the guy for, then? Won't that make him(and, in turn, his kid) more violent, then? Ridiculous. The plot twists were also ludicrous, especially in the last couple of scenes where people seemed to change sides back and forth constantly. I can imagine many guys considering renting or maybe even(heaven forbid) buying this garbage because of the cover, and, more importantly, the bad-ass gun that Norris is packing, on the cover. Believe me, I understand where you're coming from; and I made that mistake. I bought this film(cheap, don't worry; very, very cheap) because I(like you) expected Norris to deal out some heavy punishment with the double-barrel shotgun. I'm afraid I have to disappoint you; he uses it in three scenes, and only of them is somewhat entertaining(not particularly much, though). This film really isn't worth any of your time or money. I suggest that if you do get a chance to watch it(at no cost whatsoever and you don't have anything else to do for those 90 minutes), try to think of it as a comedy; listen to the laughable dialog and music, laugh at the bad acting and the horrible script. It'll make it so much easier. Try it; I did. And that's probably the only reason that I can be so calm about this mess, er, movie. I recommend this *only* to huge action and/or Chuck Norris fans. Everyone else should avoid it. 5/10

Very good action film

[nicotoscani · 9/10 · 31 October 2006]

Given the genre, this movie is excellent. If you're in the mood for a romantic film or a slow foreign flick, skip it: if you're a real man, watch it.

Chuck Norris does, as usual, a very good job, but the real key to the movie is the intricate plot. Things keep getting more and more convoluted as the movie proceeds, and the dramatic ending, while foreseeable, is action-packed.

A side note: the cinematography, especially the night scenes, is masterful. If you're watching the movie with the lights off, you get the full effect. The use of darkness provides a perfect atmospheric for certain scenes.

Great for a night you want to watch a kick-ass man movie.

Gangsters feel Chuck's cold-blooded wrath!

[lost-in-limbo · 7/10 · 27 April 2008]

Nearly every film that Norris starred in from the mid 80s through to the 90s was under the production company 'Cannon'. Is that a bad thing? No not really, as long it delivered on the goods that we expected. They were mainly cheap, but quite violent and senseless entertainment. However there's something about "The Hit-man" that makes me think much more highly of it than I probably should. It passes the time, but this Norris actioner provides a solidly calm performance, which is maybe his best or actually most suited. His beard is in full flight, but he also sports a gratuitous mullet and dangerous looking trench coat. It's definitively my favourite of those mainstream humdingers that he was chalking up through the measly 90s. Norris' brother Aaron (who directed Chuck in some other flicks) was in the director's chair and this would be his most accomplished piece. The premise is transparently black n white (if vague), but it's the calculatingly dark, risky and lean tone which I fancied. It kind of reminded me of J. Lee Thompson's "Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)". Sure it can get over-sentimental with a flabby and pointless subplot involving a 'young nice boy' living next door to Norris. But this plot device (in a surprisingly story-bound presentation) gives Norris' character a humane element to counter-pouch that cold, fearless nature driving him to complete his job. Amongst this moral interruption, it can be rather offensively racist, mean-spirited and brutal in its staged barbaric violence that's broken out in the crime underworld. As double crossings, secret meetings and vicious set-ups plague the get-up. It doesn't really focus on Norris' martial arts abilities, as it doesn't get much of a show-in with him preferring to use his punishing shotgun. Get ready for a bloody onslaught with smarting wise-cracks! Aaron Norris' hardboiled direction is brisk, gritty and accordingly sombre in its grungy atmospheric charges leaking from such moodily shot-on locations. Some rousing suspense can be detected too. Joel Derouin's music score really does skew back to those saucily cruising, but uneasy jazz scores of the 70s. The support cast offer able assistance with their parts. Michael Parks memorably nasty, thuggery performance is a blast whenever his on screen.

An edgy, hard-hitting Norris entry that at least tries be something a little more different.

Hit me with your best shot...

[fmarkland32 · 3/10 · 7 August 2006]

Chuck Norris stars as a police officer who goes undercover to take out mobsters who are warring over the drug market. They include Middle Eastern mobsters, typical Itallian mobsters and Candian(!) mobsters who all declare war on each other, which then of course causes Norris to wipe out all three of the families and settle a score with Michael Parks(The best thing about this movie.) If anything else The Hit-man is a one man show, with Norris trumping anyone who really gets in his way. Back in 1991 I remember catching this in a triple-bill with Showdown In Little Tokyo and Out For Justice, to which in comparison to each movie The Hit-man lacked the edge of Out For Justice and the inspired action of Showdown In Little Tokyo. Also Lundgren, Seagal and Lee seemed far more agile and charismatic than Norris ever did in this film. Indeed had Seagal done this movie instead of Norris and I mean back in his heyday, Seagal would have provided enough edge to really get into this clichéd nonsense. Because we know Norris is always righter than right, we never feel as if he's facing a grave danger and is falling under the spell of evil. Norris is as always Norris and although the action sequences are okay, they are uneventful and the real plus comes only from watching Michael Parks overact. In fact his scenery chewing performance somehow makes the movie come to life which is not often enough unfortunately.

*1/2 out of 4-(Poor)

Fantastic!

[Hypercampe · 1 November 2011]

Now this on has got it right! Everything in it is cool, starting with Chuck's mullet.

Like in many of his films, Chuck goes around killing people, in this case a bunch of shady maffiosi and a crew of Muslims.

I do not see this film being broadcast in Muslim countries as it contains quite a few very funny islamophobic jokes.

One thing that I love with Chuck Norris films is that you know he is going to go around and have a nice time killing people. The fact that it is so predictable gives it all its charm, though it does take away all the suspense. But suspense sucks anyway, we just want explosions and naked chicks! This is a film that you watch for a good laugh and to learn a few good one-liners that you might toss out in a intellectual conversation at your girlfriend's family dinner party.

The Box reads "3 1/2 Stars...Astonishing!" Yes -Astonishingly awful

[Alan_G_Kelly · 1/10 · 2 May 2005]

Too bad Braddock didn't stay missing in action, otherwise we might have been spared this boring and slow movie. Assumed to be one of his better flicks (only because of the box) I've seen more emotion on the "Total Gym" infomercial.

Apparently his mullet isn't the only bad thing following this honorary Texas ranger around town. Taking time out of his day killing people Norris teaches a bullied child how to stand up for himself. Too bad He didn't teach him how to withstand a brick of plastique explosive via Norris's foes. Sure he slaps a bigot around but isn't that sort cancelled out by his "you eat this sh**?" remark about Middle Eastern food. *Note to self* Help elderly woman across street, then head to nearest Italian restaurant, pour tomato sauce over patron's head and proceed to ask him if the same sauce flows through his veins?

Keep that thumb flexed and ready 'cause you'll be hitting FF more than once. Norris walking from point A to point B is boring, especially when it lasts 10 minutes.

Going to watch 'Hitman'? Keep the phone line free 'cause after hitting the 'time remaining' button for 11th time you'll wish you had placed a hit on yourself

Not this time

[refinedsugar · 5/10 · 16 September 2000]

If you know your stuff - you know 'Hitman' is one of Chuck's flicks helmed by his brother during his Cannon Film days. You should also know it's predictable in every sense. A good cop betrayed comes back secretly playing a bad guy who takes the mob down from the inside. It's the plot as drawn on the back of a cereal box. It's familiar b-grade territory we're stomping here.

Non-discriminating action junkies will find a quick fix here. Shotgun blasts to the knees blood 'n guts and all, but ultimately 'The Hitman' will be sought and liked by devout Norris fans. Meaning anyone not in that category can rightfully pass it on by. Love him or hate him, Chuck Norris is without a doubt the film's sole asset though.

The flick delivers action, but never escapes the feeling of being really low budget and Michael Parks can do his role in his sleep. The most interesting thing that I can say about 'Hitman' is the corny method they go about making Chuck's character likable. Nothing says nice guy like a subplot involving you befriending a young colored kid.

This movie is bad don't rent it.

[mm-39 · 2/10 · 5 March 2002]

Chuck was losing it when he made this one. Flimed in Canada, and on a low budget with out a story, I ended up disliking this one. I like action films and found it hard to sit through this one. It had Al Waxman from CBCs King of what ever, and Bruno form the Beach Comers. Any over the age of 30 from Canada know this to be a bad cast. All they needed was Mollys reach. Sorta Spoiler! At least Bruno gets kill, but that does not save this film.

Chuck Norris as a Hit-man for the Mafia(undercover,at least)

[disdressed12 · 7/10 · 28 January 2007]

this is the story of a cop who has been undercover for 2 years,posing as a hit-man.Chuck Norris plays CliffGarret/Danny Grogan in the title role. Garret is his really name,while Grogan is his undercover identity.this movie is much darker than most Norris films.Chuck gets to focus more on his dramatic acting ability than martial arts(though there is a bit of that)and handles himself quite nicely.he is very credible in his portrayal of the icy killer.the score for the film is very appropriate and adds to the atmosphere.there are great performances all around,including Al Waxman as the head of one of the criminal factions and Grogan's boss,Bruno Gerusi as one of his underlings,and Michael Parks who plays Ronald "Del" Delany,a bitter enemy of Norris's character.Ken Pogue plays Detective chambers,Garret's Boss.the production values are very decent for this film.Most of the dialogue is well written.there is of course lots of violence in this one,as in most of Chuck's films.overall a very well made,entertaining film.a strong 7/10

Go watch a Hong Kong movie instead

[The-Sarkologist · 4/10 · 28 September 2012]

This movie doesn't stand out all that much. The only reason I watched it was because I thought that it might be interesting, and though the action was good, there was nothing to make it stand out above and beyond other movies.

Basically Chuck Norris is a cop who is betrayed by his friend and shot. He manages to survive but his commander makes him an undercover agent, says that he is still dead, and sends Chuck off. Chuck gets a job as a thug for a mafia boss who is having trouble with the French up north and Iranians moving in onto his territory. After numerous battles, Chuck discovers that his old partner is the boss of the Iranians, and blows him up.

As I said, nothing outstanding. In fact it becomes somewhat lame when the thug Chuck takes a small boy into his care whose mother is working three jobs to look after him. He teaches the boy to fight and beats up the bullies' dad, and then gives the boy and his mother a lot of money.

All in all, this is a typical dry American action movies where the good guy is too good and the bad guys simply fade away into nothingness.

The Hit-man

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 14 August 2009]

This time Chuck Norris stars as an undercover cop, presumed dead after his partner betrayed him by shooting him multiple times during a routine sting operation. He infiltrates an Italian mob organized in Seattle. Meanwhile, two other criminal organizations, the Arabs and French mobs, desire to operate exclusively in Seattle. Well as Danny Grogen, Chuck's job is to align Andre Lacombe(Marcel Sabourin), the French mobster working in Vancouver, with Marco Luganni(Al Waxman)so that the police can nab them together..but Grogan's old nemesis, Del(Michael Parks)is working with the Arab mob and this will make things particularly difficult. Del is an opportunist and uses Marco(..who believes Del is on his side) to take out Lacombe, but Grogan has other plans for him. When Del attempts to blow up Grogan's neighbor's boy, it gets REALLY personal.

Despite what seems like a complex story really is still your basic tale of revenge and retribution. Grogen is the only, except the little black boy he befriends, character who isn't a dirtbag so when he shoots somebody or beats some scumbag to the pulp, you root for him if just by default. I found it amusing that Chuck not only has one mob to contend with, but three! I enjoyed how Chuck's Grogen could just walk up on his adversaries, often with the result being some mob goon laid on his back, bleeding or seriously harmed. My favorite sequence has Chuck wiping out a dinner table full of Arabs in their own restaurant. There's a ton of mob violence with men from each organization setting the others up, with bullets riddling bodies. And, boy, does Grogen get him some of Del! That's quite a BLAST of a finale! The film finds time to include a sub-plot where Chuck helps out a little black boy being bullied by white racists, for which he teaches him the fundamentals of defending yourself. As you'd expect, Chuck lands a pretty loud punch to the bastard father's face(..he's your typical thuggish, foul racist white trash monster, abusive towards his son if the kid doesn't bully those supposedly inferior), breaking his nose in the process to the delight of the audience, I'm sure.

"The Hit-man" isn't exactly up to par with Chuck's 80's stuff, but it delivers plenty of violence and Norris does get to conduct his usual "one man army" shtick, blowing apart the legs, chests, and faces of mobsters in the warehouse climax with a small shotgun, as all three organizations buck for supremacy, falling short due to their inabilities to "share turf". Michael Parks, who many recognize as a consistent face in QT / Rodriguez joints, has a small but pivotal part as the slimy, vulgar antagonist who(..as many villains in these films often do)leaves Norris alive when he had him right where he wanted him. This will come back to bite him right on the ass. To provide motivation for fans of ultra-violence, a victim is rope-tied to a chair, hung outside a window, with a bomb that detonates exploding his body into millions of pieces!

One of the worst movies I have ever seen.

[ben-rislov-519-525466 · 1/10 · 1 November 2019]

Ts like a slow motion train wreck. You don't want to watch it but you can't turn away. Waiting to see how bad or offensive it can get.

One of the best chuck norris movies

[grzhorse · 8/10 · 5 January 2004]

I am a big fan of chuck norris and i find this movie very interesting. I liked a lot the plot and also the suspense that was in the film. I think this kind of movies fit well for Chuck.

On The Road Again!

[Lyonheart · 7/10 · 30 September 2005]

I like this movie. i first rented it to watch with my girlfriend in about 1992 - she didn't like it for some reason but i was impressed with the change of character by Norris compared to his Texas Ranger, Delta Force movies.

The storyline of someone left for dead only to come back a few years later to even the score with his corrupt partner who tried to kill him is a bit corny and has been done before this movie I'm sure but the coldness of Norris when he blows people away is what makes this watchable, not least when he kicks ass big style in the Iranians' club! However, Canadian mob boss Andre Lecombe's 'minder' is possibly the least likely gangster i have ever seen in a movie and does not convince! The Hit-man is pretty hard to find these days and could be regarded as a collectors item if you're a Chuck Norris fan.

Unusually Brutal even for a Norris flick.

[xn0_One · 5/10 · 6 February 2023]

This lean and mean Chuck Norris-vehicle directed by his younger brother Aaron Norris is somewhat of a hidden gem, if you want a darker side of Norris. Its a somewhat uneven but often effective 90s action-version of Kurosawas "Yojimbo" as a loner who pits rival gangsters against eachother in a bid to destroy the gangs in the end. The nighttime photography really helps the movie tremendously, the somewhat low-budget production is successfully camouflaged by the athmospheric night scenes. The corrupt ex-partner of the "Hitman", played by a deliciously cynical Michael Parks (later known for a couple Robert Rodriguez movies like "Kill Bill" etc.) is a delight, and he definetly carries the film moreso than Norris himself, who is his usual stiff self. The most action scenes and subsequent deaths are quite standard, except the one very dark (and somewhat tragic) scene where one of the bad guys is found gutted and dismembered but still alive. Something more fitting for a horror movie. It stands out together with the gratituously violent final fight and pay-off. All in All a somewhat unusual Chuck Norris-movie, whose Mafia vs. Iranians etc. Shenanigans are more interesting than our mullet-adorned undercover agent.