Shoot to Kill (1988)

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writers:

Harv Zimmel (story)
Harv Zimmel (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 February 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

It's about staying alive.

Plot:

A man is discovered breaking into his own jewelery shop in the dead of night. Questioned closely, it...

Plot Keywords:

Chase | Escape | FBI | Wilderness | Hiking

Cast

Sidney Poitier	...	Warren Stantin
Tom Berenger	...	Jonathan Knox
Kirstie Alley	...	Sarah Renell
Clancy Brown	...	Steve
Richard Masur	...	Norman
Andrew Robinson	...	Harvey
Kevin Scannell	...	Ben
Frederick Coffin	...	Ralph
Michael MacRae	...	Fournier
Robert Lesser	...	Agent Minelli
Milton Selzer	...	Mr. Berger
Les Lannom	...	Sheriff Dave Arnett
Walter Marsh	...	Sam Baker
Frank C. Turner	...	Austin Crilley
Sam Hiona	...	Inspector Hsu (as Samuel Hiona)

Also Known As:

Deadly Pursuit (UK)
Mountain Man (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

British Properties, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

The killer's identity is not revealed until midway through the film. He attempts to evade detection by killing a member of a hiking expedition and taking his place. To keep the audience guessing as to the true identity of the villain, some of the hikers were played by actors known for playing bad guys: notably Clancy Brown, Frederick Coffin, and Andrew Robinson.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Stantin is pulling Knox up the side of the cliff the rope is continually taut but in several shots at Knox's end the rope is slack.

Quotes:

[Stantin is made to step into a freezing cold stream]
Warren Stantin: Son of a bitch!
Jonathan Knox: What did you say?
Warren Stantin: I said I hate the damn woods!

Movie Connections:

References Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955)

Soundtrack:

I Love a Parade

The first 45min sets it up nicely

It think whoever wrote the script for this movie had the first half all planned out, but then didn't know where to go afterwards. The first 40 minutes or so is riveting, one of the greatest openings to a film you'll ever likely to see because it keeps you guessing, there's decoys thrown in and it throws up one big question, which one of the fishermen is the bad guy? I guessed wrong. Once his identity is revealed it all becomes a bit stock standard, other users have said that the bad guy question was answered too soon and i tend too agree, another 20 minutes or so would've helped, the fishermen tour is a fun part of the movie.

Despite it's slight decline in power at this point the directing and cinematography remain first class. The characters are believable, realistic, give good feedback and are easy to relate to. Character development in Shoot to Kill isn't matched by many others, simply first class. The script is laugh out loud witty at times and Poitier and Berenger gel well, but the acting does have it's poorer moments, as does the script. A couple of plot holes don't help. But look past some minor flaws and the movie is great, the curiously catchy soundtrack adds to the movies feel, and the scenery is documentary spectacular and also gives a good sense of it's intimidation. Definitely a must watch for thriller fans. Everyone I've shown it too loved it, and everyone I know who's seen it loved it. Highly underrated, yet highly enjoyable.