MOVIE REVIEW : Whitaker Scores as a ‘Hit Man’ With a Heart of Gold

Hit men are on the periphery of many a gangster thriller, but a movie about a hit man is a rarity. As a psychological study, or even as a thriller, “Diary of a Hit Man” (citywide) is arch and overwrought in a way that’s compelling without being very good. But, in the lead, Forest Whitaker gives another of his freshly thought-out performances. From moment to moment Whitaker never does anything that you’ve ever seen before; he seems to approach each of his roles from the inside out, and he’s so totally in character that he never makes a false move.

“Hit Man” (rated R for violence and sensuality) was adapted from an unproduced play by the screenwriter, Kenneth Pressman, and directed by Roy London, a popular L.A. acting coach. This probably explains why the scenes have a high-flown theatrical flavor; the actors all seem to be working up a slam-bang audition piece.

Whitaker makes this high-strung quality work in his favor; he’s playing a man who has to clamp down on his emotions or he’ll explode. But, as the woman he’s been hired to hit (along with her baby), Sherilyn Fenn goes for the fireworks right from the beginning. So does Sharon Stone, in a small role as her sister. (Both actresses are brunettes here. Blondes definitely have more fun.)

The crux of the film is an extended confrontation between the hit man and his prey. We’re supposed to recognize how both are humanized by each other. The hit man’s motto is, “Nothing personal, only business,” but he gets personal this time out, and it wrecks his killer’s instinct. The script indulges a corny sentimentalism: It gives us a hit man with a heart of gold. Without Whitaker’s volatility, this sort of thing would be insufferable, but Whitaker gives his character’s redemption a fierce believability.

London has never directed a movie before, but his instincts occasionally click with the sordid material. The film has some of the same lower-depths grunge and flattened realism that worked for a movie like “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.” It’s more highfalutin’ than that film, though, and the windy, existential, over-literary monologues keep reminding you that you’re watching a theater piece.

The French will love it.

‘Diary of a Hit Man’

Forest Whitaker: Dekker

Sherilyn Fenn: Jain

Sharon Stone: Kiki

Seymour Cassel: Koenig

A Vision Intl. presentation of a Continental Film Group production. Director Roy London. Producer Amin Q. Chaudhri. Executive producer Mark Damon. Screenplay by Kenneth Pressman, based on his play “Insider’s Price.” Cinematographer Yuri Sokol. Editor Brian Smedley-Aston. Costumes Calista Hendrickson. Music Michel Colombier. Production designer Stephen Hendrickson. Running time: 1 hour, 31 minutes.

MPAA-rated R (violence and sensuality).