Hitman (1988)

Hitman: Directed by Eric Red. With Roy Scheider, Adam Baldwin, Harley Cross, Cooper Huckabee. When a little boy witnesses a mob hit, he is kidnapped by two professional assassins who are not what they seem.

“u0026quot;Cohen and Tateu0026quot; is a reasonably entertaining road movie of the dramatic kind: mismatched mafia hit men Cohen (Roy Scheider) and Tate (Adam Baldwin) carry out an assignment to kidnap young Travis (Harley Cross of u0026quot;The Believersu0026quot;), gunning down his parents and the FBI agents watching over them. Travis had witnessed a mob rubout and now the employers of Cohen and Tate want to know everything that the kid knows before taking *him* out. The problem is, nothing goes smooth because of the two opposing personalities in play here. Cohen is the Older and Wiser type, very weary at having to put up with a hothead punk such as Tate, the kind of guy who enjoys violence way too much. Travis soon notices this and realizes that his best chances for survival lie in attempting to pit them against one another.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEric Red, screenwriter of u0026quot;The Hitcheru0026quot; and u0026quot;Near Darku0026quot;, made his feature length directing debut with this moderately interesting, very well paced little film, his version of the O. Henry story u0026quot;The Ransom at Red Chiefu0026quot;. Most of the film takes place inside a car, so he proves up to the challenge of shooting in a claustrophobic environment and keeping the audience involved in what is happening. As Cohen and Tate spend more and more time with each other, things just get more and more grim and uneasy. Tate has shown his capacity for savagery, and his quick temper, and the increasingly more frustrated Cohen finds it harder and harder to maintain his self control. What is often truly disturbing is seeing guns repeatedly leveled at young Crossu0026#39; head. You really fear for this kidsu0026#39; life.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRight from the start, Red is ratcheting up the suspense, diving head first into the action. In an odd touch, he gets his back story out of the way *very* quickly with a brief expository text. Then things soon get ugly. Red does an excellent job of keeping his tone grim throughout. Much of the effectiveness, however, can be attributed to the acting. Baldwin is a live wire in his part, and young Cross delivers a sympathetic, mature performance, holding his own opposite his more experienced co-stars. Scheider is of course superb; heu0026#39;s as commanding as ever as the professional killer saddled with a loose cannon partner. Cooper Huckabee (u0026quot;The Funhouseu0026quot;) is good in his brief screen time as Travisu0026#39; father. Talents behind the camera include composer Bill Conti and cinematographer Victor J. Kemper.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Cohen and Tateu0026quot; is good stuff and is worth seeking out or rediscovering for the cult movie aficionado.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSeven out of 10.”