Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
The Hatchet Man (1931)
Director: William A Wellman
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Robinson is the hit man of the title, a Chinaman who has made it as an American businessman, and who is called back to his traditional responsibilities when a Tong War breaks out in San Francisco. To complicate matters, his task is to kill his best friend, and he must then look after the latter's daughter. It's a subject that would surely have excited Sam Fuller. As handled by Wellman, the idea of friendship and responsibility is called into question rather than that of cultural identity. An intriguing film (from a play by Achmed Abdullah and David Belasco).Author: PH
Cast & crew
Director: William A Wellman
Cast: Edward G Robinson, Loretta Young, Dudley Digges, Leslie Fenton, Tully Marshall, J Carrol Naish full cast
Duration: 74 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
London Children's Film Festival
Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations












What do you think?
Post your review now