Search - Hit Lady (Dol) on DVD

Hit Lady...a lost minor gem

Andrew Otes | Sydney, Australia | 05/30/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Picked this up in a bargain bin, not expecting a lot from it. Drawn to it by cast members Yvette Mimieux and Clu Gulager. Also features Joseph Campanella who I didn't recognise by name but the face was familiar from countless crime/mob movies and telemovies. A young Dack Rambo also features.

Competently directed by Tracey Keenan Wynn, whose dad, Keenan, plays a typically interesting if brief cameo at the very beginning.

The back cover blurb is misleading, stating that 'Mimieux plays a professional assassin who does most of her killing while clad in a bikini'. While that sounds great, the movie actually has much more depth, dealing with what happens to the hit lady when she wants to quit.

In a distant way, it reminded me of the grimmer, much more violent 'Montana' (a masterpiece of it type), also about getting in too deep to leave the game.

That said, 'Hit Lady' is plainly a telemovie of the seventies (including the fashions!) and treads rather lightly.

If made these days, it would be a lot more violent. What really does appeal is the sense of hopelessness, then the sudden surge of optimism experienced by the Mimieux character before the surprise ending.

All up, this movie is a bit tame, but never lame - and well worth a look. I really enjoyed it, and would like to get a really good DVD transfer of it."