The performance of Harley Cross as a kid kidnapped by the mob will either amuse the viewer for its precociousness and sly intelligence or make them roll the eyes for the manipulations of the script. It's a very violent film, the story of two hitmen (Roy Scheider and Adam Baldwin) who have been sent to kill Cross and his entire family and end up taking him on a journey to Houston to the head mobsters to be questioned. Poor Cross witnesses his parents being killed (or so he thinks) and in spite of his grief manipulates the two mobsters against each other. It's obvious that they don't like each other anyway so that's not a difficult thing to do, but there's an ironic bit of dark comedy as Cross plots his efforts to survive.

In many ways, the two hit men are a more glamorous version of the Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare characters from "Fargo", not as stereotypically stupid but certainly unwise in seeing what Cross is up to. Scheider is definitely the wiser of the two as he thinks before he shoots while Baldwin is anxious to shoot without ever having to think. It's an easy mark for Cross to plot against the true, quickly figuring them both out in spite of his youth.

While the scenes of violence are engaged very disturbing (as is the plot in general), the pacing of the film is fast and surprisingly amusing in spite of the many unpleasant circumstances that occur. There are still many cliches and ridiculous twists, but a few are surprisingly intelligent, although one twist that comes from one of the better twists is rather dumb. I would have to say that Cross is the one who ends up stealing the film, not just because you're rooting for him but because there's a slyness in the way he maneuvers his way to being rescued. The scene of the police blockade has its flaws but is also rather intelligent in a way you haven't seen before. Overall a film that is predictable but one that you can still enjoy because there are some great surprises along the way.

The old, wise and weary veteran Cohen (a chillingly reserved turn by the always excellent Roy Scheider) and his much younger hot-tempered thick-as-a-brick Neandertal partner Tate (a frighteningly volatile and volcanic Adam Baldwin) are a couple of radically contrasting contract killers who abduct Travis Knight (a remarkably mature and uncutesy performance by exceptional child actor Harley Cross; Martin Sheen's son in "The Believers"), a nine-year-old tyke who witnessed a mob hit. They make a desperate 24 hour cross country drive to Houston, Texas. When they reach their destination the boy will be killed. The smart, perceptive and resourceful Travis quickly realizes that the only possible way he might survive this ordeal is by cunningly setting both assassins against each other.

Writer/director Eric Red, who previously penned the superior scripts for both "The Hitcher" and "Near Dark," delivers a resolutely grim, gritty and gripping road thriller variant on O. Henry's classic short story "The Kidnapping of Red Chief." Red's tight, confidant direction hits all the essential bases with A+ results: the headlong pace remains brisk and unceasing throughout, the violent shoot-outs and rousing vehicular carnage are staged with considerable brio and skill, the constantly rough, edgy and ugly mood never lapses into gooey sentimentality, the acting is uniformly fine, and the gut-tearingly harsh and uneasy suspense steadily mounts to an electrifying climax. Bill Conti's jumpy score and Victor Kemper's agile cinematography add immensely to the sweat-inducing tension. Undeservedly vilified by a majority of film critics during its sadly short-lived theatrical release, this brutally effective and absorbing overlooked knock-out is hugely worthy of rediscovery.

Two professional assassins are sent to kidnap a 9 year old boy named Travis Knight (Harley Cross), who is under the United States Federal Witness Protection Program after witnessing a mob killing in Texas. Cohen (Roy Scheider) is the older, jaded assassin with a little bit of humanity still in him. Tate (Adam Baldwin) is the younger, hotheaded and psychopathic killer.

The film is a cinematic version of O. Henry's short story "The Ransom of Red Chief", which partially influenced both "Ruthless People" and "The Ref". The version here is significantly different than the original (as it involves no ransom and is much more violent) but has the general underlying concept intact.

Is it time for this film to be re-examined and re-evaluated as a lost 1980s action classic? Perhaps. While Harley Cross is a bit annoying (especially that accent) and Adam Baldwin pushes his role too far... this is still a fine piece of entertainment.