D Clough

In this strange and rather under­rated film, a hitman, played by Anthony La Paglia, has become so indif­ferent to killing that he does it almost by reflex until he is given the task of killing a woman (Mimi Rogers) who has offended some Mafia chief. To his surprise, she is expecting his visit and, stranger still, she wants him to kill her. But here is the twist: he falls in love with her. The struggle between this new-found love and the pres­sure to do what is required of him plays out in a story that has the feel of a classic tragedy but also some of the dark, trapped quality of a classic film noir. Peter Boyle and Matt Craven turn in admirable supporting roles in a film that I found haunted me for a long time.