I begin, so I won't forget later, by commenting that the child actor in this film is stunningly good. He nails long bits of dialogue in long unbroken takes. He adds so much humanity to the film.It is pointless to opine about William H. Macy. He is a titan. But, god almighty lets not forget Donald Sutherland. He is the pinnacle of evil wrapped up in sheep's clothing. The mentor of his son, in a very disreputable trade. And god, I miss John Ritter! And Neve Campbell.. be still my heart.Hit men movies are always enjoyable. What this says of humanity I don't know. But a hit man movie saturated with humanity is something yet again and I promise this combination makes for a very satisfying experience.

Have you seen the Sopranos? Then you have seen this movie. That's all it is, poorly rewritten episodes of The Soprano complete with a hit-man who goes to a Therapist talking about getting out of "The Family Business" and hitting on women along the way. All that's missing are: good writing, good acting, drama, violence, sex or anything that makes you think this isn't a rip-off of the Sopranos.And once you know that it was a "made for HBO in 2001" special...and remember The Sopranos was on HBO you realize this was an attempt to hold the Sopranos market. On the cheap.They fail miserably. Save yourselves. Don't see this. I'd say the writers should be "whacked", but that would be too good for them and too reminiscent of...Well, the Sopranos.

This film has so many good things about it that watching it was frustrating for me, since I could never swallow the story line. William H. Macy plays Alex, a hit man who is carrying on the family business under pressure from his father. The first obstacle for me was accepting the mild-mannered Macy as a hit man. I can accept the fact that there are hit men living in apparently normal circumstances and keeping their business a secret, I just did not accept Macy in the role. As the father I suppose Donald Sutherland portrays a person who is amoral enough to be a hit man, but there again there was some hardness lacking. Think of the hit men in "The Godfather" and compare.The next obstacle was believing in the relationship that developed between the young, beautiful and lively Sarah (Neve Campbell) and the confused, middle-aged and withdrawn Alex? What was there about Alex that would attract Sarah, who was shown as predominately lesbian? I didn't see it.The scenes with Alex and his six year old son Sammy were touching and were the only scenes where Alex seemed relaxed and engaged. But the kid spoke in a manner way beyond his years and clearly was just reciting written dialog.Alex has kept his death-dealing profession a secret from his wife. Supposedly he made a living by running a mail-order business selling lawn ornaments, kitchen gadgets, sexual aids and such. Does his wife really think that he is supporting the family with that kind of business? She would certainly have to be involved in such a business to make a go of it, and consequently she would know about the finances and see that things did not add up.The dialog tended toward the affected. For example the first lines in the movie have Alex saying to himself, "Do you ever get the feeling that you're dead? Like some dog lying on the street that's been hit by a car and left there to rot." Does anyone actually talk to himself like that?The music tries to add an element of suspense and threat but I felt it was too intrusive.Having said all of that, the beautiful photography saved this movie for me. The settings are artistically composed and the lighting impressive. And the actors are all in good form. It's too bad that all of this talent was not put to better use.

I bought this a year or more ago for $2 (yep, $2), left it on the shelf for ages, now watching DVDs while holed up with a cold.This is a haunting movie. Brilliant performances by all involved, especially the 6yo boy (about the only smiles you get in this movie).Plot reminds me of perhaps my favourite movie ever, Grosse Pointe Blank, but obviously that's lighthearted, this is heavy hearted.As a psychologist, a clinical and forensic psychologist, a shiver went up my spine when the identity of the new contract was revealed. Scary stuff! Brilliant work all round.Pete