Title: The Hit
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Jason A. White
Starring: Hilary Barraford, Matthew Rocheleau, Craig Cackowski
Runtime: 7 mins

What It Is: Marcy (Barraford) is a cold-hearted hitwoman hired by a man (Cackowski) who wants Norman (Rocheleau), one of his employees, taken out for stealing from him. The mission appears simple until Marcy learns that Norman plans on taking himself out first. In order to prevent the suicide of her mark, Marcy inserts herself into Norman’s life. Opening up a different side of herself, Marcy struggles with following her client’s orders or following her heart.

What We Think: From over the top acting to the so bad it’s a good usage of a green screen, this screwball comedy seemingly has all the necessary screwball elements. The entire short revolves around the been there done that premise of a hitwoman falling for her mark. What makes it stand out is the off-kilterness of it all. The acting, writing, and editing might trick you into thinking you’re watching a film made by people who don’t understand how to make a good film but that’s exactly what’s good about The Hit—its absurdity. I expected the comedy to be better but I also expected the twists to be not as good. I thought that the noir element hovered around the line of feeling forced but then I thought…maybe that’s the point. Whether this film is bordering on genius or incredibly mundane is almost hard to tell at times but there’s no denying its entertainment value.

Our Grade: B-, This is an example of something seeming certifiably boring on paper but comes together in the execution. There’s no doubt there are people who will love it and people who will hate it. I’m guessing most viewers will sit somewhere in the middle, like me, and conclude they’re a bit indifferent to it but still enjoy the out of the box nature of the short. It’s not a masterpiece but it’s innovative and an attempt to crossbreed genres. It’s something that nobody really asked for but…yeah, we might as well take it.