The Big Hit

If you are after a comedy that actually makes you laugh out loud, The Big Hit is available on Crave right now. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. 485 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Mark Wahlberg is the obvious draw, but the whole ensemble earns its laughs. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Crave.

The Big Hit arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Sharp writing and a well-matched ensemble are what separate The Big Hit from the crowd. Affable hit man Melvin Smiley is constantly being scammed by his cutthroat colleagues in the life-ending business. So, when he and his fellow assassins kidnap the daughter of an electronics mogul, it's naturally Melvin who takes the fall when their prime score turns sour. That's because the girl is the goddaughter of the gang's ruthless crime boss. Mark Wahlberg and Lou Diamond Phillips lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1998. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and The Big Hit holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

If you need a comedy that actually makes you laugh, The Big Hit is a strong candidate. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Mark Wahlberg anchors an ensemble with real chemistry. Genuinely funny, consistently, across the whole run.