This Gun for Hire (1991) (TV)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Lou Antonio

Writers (WGA):

Graham Greene (novel)
N.D. Schreiner (teleplay)

Release Date:

9 January 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

A killer for hire named Raven kills his target. However, he believes that he was just killing an ordinary person...

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Assassin | Remake | Based On Novel

Cast

Patrik Baldauff	...	Spicer
Lenore Banks	...	Mrs. Acky
James Borders	...	Bridge Cop
Dean Cochran	...	Larry
David Dahlgren	...	FBI Agent
Margaret Dubuisson	...	Anchorwoman
Robert Earle	...	Acky
Nancy Everhard	...	Anne
Ron Flagge	...	FBI Agent
Leslie Fortenberry	...	Callgirl
Larry Gamell Jr.	...	Marvin
John Harkins	...	Boynton
C. Robert Holloway	...	Harald
George Jones	...	Anchorman
Danny Kamin	...	Senator Laughton (as Daniel Tucker Kamin)
Eliott Keener	...	Tiny
Fredric Lehne	...	Mather
Fred Lerner	...	Officer Conroy
Kristina Loggia	...	Cynthia
John McConnell	...	Lt. Leoville
Soline McLain	...	Little Girl
Taylor Simpson	...	Louise Flanner
Marco St. John	...	Tom Scott
Carol Sutton	...	Guard
Robert Wagner	...	'Raven'
Joe Warfield	...	Mr. Souverain

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M (video rating) | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company:

MCA Television Entertainment (MTE)

Movie Connections:

Version of Short Cut to Hell (1957)

This Gun for Hire Is an Excellent Mystery Shot in the French Quarter

Robert Wagner plays a hit-man, Raven, who is hired to kill a man whom he thinks is a commonplace-average hit. Unbeknownst to Raven the hit is no ordinary Joe, but a US Senator and Raven has been set up to take the fall. He takes Anne, a stripper played by Nancy Everhard, hostage while attempting to elude the authorities who have initiated a massive manhunt for him. He also attempts to figure out who set him up and why. His attempt to evade the cops and figure out what really went down is one plot which the viewer may assume is the central plot, while what may seem a subplot, Raven's interaction with Anne and what perchance may really matter in life to him, actually becomes the main plot of the film. Raven's complexity (he is not the one dimensional character one would assume), and how this is developed in the film is done very well.

Wagner convincingly portrays Raven as a (40s to mid 60s) middle-aged, cold, hard, hit-man. He does not have the cherubic boyish appearance we associate with him; he is quite convincing in the role. Like Wagner, Nancy Everhard at 33 or 34 may have been at the upper age range for a modern stripper, but like Wagner, she appears younger and pulls it off very well. While watching the movie, one sees Raven and Anne, not Wagner and Everhard. Casting of the supporting cast is excellent, especially the slimy local politicians. The French Quarter is an appropriate locale and is used to advantage.

This was a made for TV film, but is certainly as good as any of its genre released theatrically in the last several decades.