Killshot (2008)

Beautiful Carmen Colson and her ironworker husband Wayne are placed in the Federal Witness Protection program after witnessing an "incident". Thinking they are at last safe, they are targeted by an experienced hit man and a psychopathic young upstart killer. The ensuing struggle will test Carmen to the limit.

Director:

John Madden

Writers:

Hossein Amini (screenplay), Elmore Leonard (novel)

Stars:

Thomas Jane, Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mickey Rourke	...	Blackbird
Brandon McGibbon	...	Blackbird's Kid Brother
Peter Kelly Gaudreault	...	Blackbird's Brother
Michelle Arvizu	...	Nurse
Richard Zeppieri	...	Son-in-Law / Mafia Boss
Alexis Butler	...	Girl in Hotel Room
Hal Holbrook	...	Papa
Diane Lane	...	Carmen
Robert Gow	...	Prospective Buyer
Catherine Hayos	...	Prospective Buyer
Thomas Jane	...	Wayne Colson
Craig Blair	...	Construction Site Foreman
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Richie
Lynne Deragon	...	Mrs. Palino
Rosario Dawson	...	Donna

Storyline

When the professional killer Armand 'Blackbird' Degas falls in disgrace with the Mafia, he flees to another city in Canada. He stumbles upon the psychopath Richie Nix, who lives with his girlfriend Donna. Armand teams up with him and moves to his house. Richie summons Armand to participate in a scheme to take money from a wealthy real estate agent, but he commits a mistake and the couple Wayne Colson and Carmen Colson witness their action. They are forced to join the Witness Protection Program by the FBI and they move to another town. But Armand and Ritchie are hunting them down since they are a thread.

---

Plot Keywords:

witness protection | witness protection program | female nudity | motorboat | white panties | 

---

Taglines:

Yesterday she was a witness. Today she's a target.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 2008 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Killshot

Filming Locations:

Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,741, 25 January 2009

Gross USA:

$18,643

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,960,993

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Weinstein Company, FilmColony, Lawrence Bender Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All the scenes involving corrupt cop Ferris Britton (Johnny Knoxville) were cut from the final movie because test screenings audiences didn't like the character.

---

Goofs

When Armand puts a .45 pistol to Richie Nix's head in the car when they first meet, the distinct sound of a hammer cocking is inserted but the hammer is obviously disengaged.

---

Quotes

[Nix has just tracked Wayne down to a convenience store]
Richie Nix: [taking a gun and a sack out] All right!
[places sack on register and says to cashier]
Richie Nix: It's your big day, honey, it's a double feature. Get your cash laid out on the counter, and get some gum.

---

Connections

Referenced in Unikal'noe pozdravlenie (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Listening To The Wind
Written and Performed by Vince Two Eagles
Courtesy of Soar (Sound Of America Records)

User Reviews

Great stuff

Rosario Dawson Week: Day 5

John Madden's Killshot went through the ninth ring of production hell before it was finally released in 07 or so, after like three years of gathering dust on the shelf. The resulting film didn't win anyone over who waited all that time with baited breath, because you can see the cuts, chops and gaps in story where it's been muddled around with, no doubt by the fuckwit studio. I still love it, flaws and all. Based on an Elmore Leonard tale (you can never go wrong with his work, it's a sombre tale of psychopaths, assassins and one hapless estranged couple (Thomas Jane & Diane Lane) caught in between. When legendary native American hit-man Arman 'The Blackbird' Degas (Mickey Rourke) botches a job for the Toronto mafia, he's forced on the run, and hides out with aimless young lunatic criminal Ritchie Nix (Joseph Gordon Levitt), who somewhat reminds him of a litte brother he lost years before. Rourke pulls off the native angle quite well, and shows vague glimpses of a humanity that was once there and has long since been buried in violence. When Jane and Lane accidentally witness him murder someone, he won't let it go, pursuing them beyond rationality or reason, even to his own end. Levitt never gets to play the wild card, and he rocks his redneck sociopath brat role with scary aplomb. Rosario Dawson has an odd appearance as Ritchie's girlfriend, an elvis fan who is seemingly a little bit challenged upstairs. Watch for a cameo from Hal Holbrook as a crusty old mobster too. You'll just have to imagine the federal agent character played by Johnny Knoxville though, because he never made it into the film and can now only be seen in ages old trailers that were a false start. Despite it's issues, I find it to be an atmospheric little pulp outing that does have the classic Leonard feel, a hard bitten, cold-hearted turn from Rourke that's one of his best characters in recent years, and a mean, unforgiving narrative set in picturesque northern Canada. Give it a shot, it deserves way more love than its received so far.