Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1984: Tim Roth in The Hit

Tim Roth did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Myron in The Hit.

Tim Roth plays junior hitman Myron to John Hurt's Braddock tasked with taking mob informant Willie (Terence Stamp) from Spain to meet his end in Paris. Tim Roth, fitting to a screen debut, gives a very eager performance that is also rather fitting to his role as first time on the job hitman Myron. Unlike the calm and collected Braddock, Roth portrays the right irrationality from the outset portraying Myron getting far too much of a kick at capturing poor Willie. Roth's performance works by sort of his lack of tacking things seriously, or more accurately professionally in any way. Roth plays it mostly as Myron treating the whole thing like a thrill seeking experience more than anything else. In the early scenes there is a severe lack of understanding towards Willie as even Roth's grin seems to scream "Yeah let's kill this guy", but with no real depth to this sentiment whatsoever.

Roth brings the right sort of bluster to his performance which is all show in the right way. In the way he walks and talks he's a great contrast to the consummate professional Braddock who is very low key. Roth brings the right lack of maturing in all that he does as he brandishes the gun like a kid playing an outlaw, not a real outlaw, the way he walks around with such a strut, and shows off all his weaponry is all that of kid playing show and tell. Roth, even in the scenes where Myron talks big against Willie, is properly not menacing since he plays it as all a put on by the young Myron. One of my favorite moments of his early on, reminiscent of Colin Farrell in In Bruges another first timer hitman, is when Braddock has to adjust the plan and go to Madrid in attempt to lose the authorities. Roth's terrific since his reaction is that of a spoiled brat annoyed that he's going have to wait for his "treat".

Roth's performance properly makes Myron a surface level guy since even when we are allowed a different side of Myron through another captive of a beautiful local Maggie (Laura del Sol), Roth doesn't truly show any depth in Myron. Myron does tend to the woman attempting to help her, but again even this Roth makes fairly juvenile. In that Roth focuses on that he is obviously just very much smitten by Maggie's beauty, and that even his more tender notions come from a very simple mindset. Roth after awhile is quite good in showing just how lacking Myron is in every quality by showing how quickly he forgets his facade of either the tough hitman or the caring one. Roth's work rightfully has the awkwardness of a young man who has no idea what he is doing at any time. I feel this is best summed up in his final scene where he refuses to kill, but again just as a sad sack loser with no real convictions. He's actually darkly hilarious in the stupid look that Roth wears as he fails to comprehend that he's made a dire mistake. This is an entertaining portrayal by Tim Roth as he adds a nice bit of character to the film. He technically is a bit overshadowed by Stamp and Hurt but not in bad way. Braddock and Willie are functioning really on different level, and Roth gives enjoyable turn as someone wholly out of his element even if he thinks otherwise.