Connianatu How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Falconeer The fact that THIS film only rates a 5/10 here, only proves that the ratings system is completely inaccurate and unreliable. "The Hitter" is one of those 70's era films that is so drenched in raw atmosphere and style that while watching it you can almost smell the damp, stale and smoked-filled pool halls and bars, and the cheap perfume and sweat of the run down whorehouses, and the piss and blood splattered alleys. The great Ron O'Neal, Mr. 'Super Fly' himself turns in an intense, low key performance as Otis, a down-on-his-luck pool hustler, working the halls for survival, when he meets up with the aging conman Nathan, ( a classic performance by Adolph Caesar), an ex-pimp who sees Otis as a last chance opportunity to cash in. The two old friends hit the road, along with Lola, the whore of a rival thug who falls hard and fast for Otis. The plan is to make money on the proceeds of bare knuckle street fighting, a style of brawling that has no rules or honor. I can't say enough great things about this movie. It's a fighting movie, it's a beautifully filmed road movie, and it's a dark and murky crime drama filled with some despicable characters, like Louisiana Slim and his cronies. But we also get some characters that we can like and relate to, so much so that when they take a beating, we can feel it. The nostalgia factor of this one is off the scale. While watching it, I was reminded of pulp authors like William Burroughs and Charles Bukowski, who wrote stories like this, filled with the kinds of people you will see here. It's also wonderfully put together; it begins somewhat light, setting up the scene with some comic moments that let the viewer get to know and like the characters. Then the story becomes progressively darker, until it explodes in the final act when all the rage and frustration come to a head, and everyone gets what is coming to them. Even though there is no restored dvd available, the beauty of the raw, stark cinematography still shines through, and the old-school 4x3 picture framing actually adds to the vintage feel that so many modern directors try to recreate, and fail. Seek this one out, all fans of grindhouse, blaxploitation, and raw 70's cinema; "The Hitter" stands shoulder to shoulder with such films as "Shaft" and "Super Fly," "The Mack" and even "Mean Streets." I believe the climax was influenced by "Taxi Driver," and the film "Crossroads" also came to mind as a similar title. And for fans of Ron O'Neal, he is even better here than he was as Priest in "Super Fly."

Comeuppance Reviews Otis (O'Neal) is a down-on-his-luck ex-boxer who is trying to escape his past and start afresh with a new life. As a drifter, he ends up in Baltimore, and he crosses paths with pool hustler Louisiana Slim (Cobbs). But he's going to wish he hadn't. Meanwhile, he also meets an older gentleman named Nathan (Caesar), a man who has lived his life as a slickster, a fast-talking hustler who's always looking to make a buck and can talk his way into - or out of - any situation. Nathan offers to be Otis' manager and take him around to the bare-knuckle fighting circuit. Otis reluctantly agrees, and along with Lola (Frazier), a prostitute also seeking a better life, the three of them hit the road encountering different trials and tribulations. But just when things are looking up, the specter of Louisiana Slim rears its ugly head again, and Otis must face his fate - a fate that could get everybody killed. What will happen? The Hitter is underrated, understated, and an entertaining and worthwhile movie. Notably, it's one of the first - if not THE first - Punchfighter. Back in 1979, crowds yelled and held their cash in their hands as two men punched each other without gloves. Seeing as how the genre is still going strong today, although crud like Never Surrender (2009) is a far cry from the nuanced performances herein, The Hitter can legitimately be called a Punchfighting pioneer.Of course, since the genre was still being born and finding its legs, the formula wasn't yet perfected at this time - in fact the first half-hour of this movie more resembles a sex comedy than a Punchfighter. Even on a technical level, there are some issues, as the boom mic is painfully obvious not just in one scene, but in many scenes. But the cast is of a very high quality, with O'Neal, Caesar, Frazier and Cobbs making this more a gritty, realistic character study than anything else. Future Punchfighters such as Last Man Standing seemingly took a page from The Hitter's playbook.Helping the movie immensely is Garfeel Ruff's soundtrack. It's truly excellent, and on top of having a winning title song, individual characters have their own songs, where the lyrics are about them. It's novel, it's funky, and the songs are very well-performed and catchy. There was a soundtrack that was released on LP back in the day, but someone really should reissue it on CD. Come on Dusty Groove, where are you on this one? The great Ron O'Neal reminds us all just why he's so great with this one. He's a trained actor who can also Punchfight. That's rare. He has a cool hat, a very cool coat, and of course a cool attitude as well. He's much better here than he is in Super Fly (1972), but The Hitter doesn't get any of the attention. As Far as Adolph Caesar, he's superb as Nathan. He's more than the folksy comic relief we believe him to be at first, he later shows true depth. And we just knew him from the Bruce Lee cash-in The Dragon and The Cobra (1980). In an interesting coincidence, Caesar says here to a Karate fighter, "You may not be Bruce Lee, but he did it all with mirrors anyway." This links Adolph Caesar to Bruce Lee in TWO movies to date. Weird, eh? But The Hitter is more than just a "Blaxploitation" movie, it's just a solid movie with good performances that transcends that term. And it's from the director of Border Cop, of all things.It has that great 70's drive-in feel, and anyone wishing to see the origins of Punchfighting should check this movie out.For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com

cash914 The Hitter was a great movie, superb cast, Ron O'Neal was a great actor Iwas sadden at his passing, If he was still with us I believe he would be right up there with Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Lawrence Fishburn just to name a few. God bless you Ron O'Neal, and his family. The movie was a great movie to see. It reminds me of how movies was made in the 70's it has that era to it the scenes reminded me of my home, It was just a touching movie,Otis was a street fighter, and Nathan was his agent, they should have move around to other states, 500.00 a fight wasn't enough for what Otis (O'Neal) was up against, It is a must see movie at anytime. Some of the actors, and actresses you don't see or hear about anymore.

Warren Hawkes Overlooked and under played action drama with O'Neal as a former boxer trying to build a new life after killing another fighter in the ring.Solid performances from O'Neal and his supporting cast, a cool soundtrack and some genuine laughs make this better than most. The story diversifies from pool hall hustling and whorehouse encounters to big-stake street fights as well as the emotional ties O'Neal's character picks up along the way, elevating it from just another black street-fighting film. The movie begins fairly light-hearted but soon takes on a more serious tone eventually building toward a bullet-ridden revenge finale.Top marks must go to the late Adolph Caesar who steals almost every scene he's in, and adds greatly to the humour throughout, punching out quick jiving lines Samuel L. Jackson would've been right at home with. As well as taking the edge off O'Neal's routine portrayal, Caesar also handles the sombre scenes with panache, adding to the proceedings the kind of sensitivity Al Pacino delivered in 'Donnie Brasco.'