Hit List (1989 film)

Hit List is a 1989 action–thriller movie directed by William Lustig. The tagline for the movie was: They attacked the wrong woman... They kidnapped the wrong child... And they made the wrong man their target. The film was produced by Cinetel Films and Warner Bros. Pictures and was distributed in US theaters by New Line Cinema and in Canadian theaters by Cineplex Odeon Films and on VHS format by RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video, but has been out of print for some time. As of December 26, 2009, Sony has not announced any plans to release a DVD of the movie. The movie was referenced in the movie Urban Legend (1998).

Plot

Gangster boss Vic Luca (Rip Torn) is scheduled to appear in court and so hires a hit man/shoe salesman Chris Caleek (Lance Henriksen) to kill the witnesses. He has a mole in the police force who tells him names and locations of the witnesses. Unfortunately, during the last hit, the professional killer enters the wrong house. When owner Jack Collins comes home, he finds his pregnant wife unconscious in the kitchen, his friend dead in the living room and his son kidnapped. Wanting Luca to believe he has the real witness' son, Collins is taken into custody. But Collins manages to escape and takes things into his own hands.^[1]

Trivia

• Though Josh Becker and Scott Spiegel were uncredited, they wrote three drafts of the script. Everything they wrote was featured in the film.
• While re-writing the Jack Collins character, Josh Becker wanted the 'average guy' to have a profession where he knew how to fight. After William Lustig shot down the idea of Collins being a Vietnam vet, an idea he was "completely sick to death of", Becker came up with Collins being a carpenter. Becker thought Collins should at least know how to use his hands. Lustig shot that down as well. Upon meeting Jan-Michael Vincent, Becker found out he was into carpentry and was also a Vietnam vet.
• The first draft script title was originally "Hell to Pay".

Cast

• Jan-Michael Vincent as Jack Collins
• Leo Rossi as Frank DeSalvo
• Lance Henriksen as Chris Caleek
• Charles Napier as Tom Mitchum
• Rip Torn as Vic Luca
• Harold Sylvester as Brian Armstrong
• Jere Burns as Jared Riley
• Junior Richard as Kenny Collins
• Harreit Hall as Sandy Collins
• Ken Lerner as Gravenstein
• Jack Andreozzi as Abe Fasio
• Nick Barbaro as Mario
• Lou Bonacki as Johnson
• Barry Brener as the doctor
• Geoff Brewer as Brock
• Richard E. Butler as Wink
• Christopher Carroll as the priest
• Robert A. Ferretti as Vincent Carelli
• John F. Goff as the prosecutor
• John Greene as Burke
• Margaret Gwenver as the judge
• Lisa M. Hansen as the shoe store clerk
• Dennis Junt as the reporter
• Lauri Landry as Connie Wayne
• Scott Lincoln as Paulie
• Jason Lustig as Gravenstein’s Assistant
• Vic Manni as George
• Felice Orlandi as Joey DeSalvo
• Frank Pesce as Quigley
• Pearl Shear as Mrs. Gulliver
• John Paul Vetturini as Frank Jr.

References

External links

• Hit List at AllRovi
• Hit List at the Internet Movie Database