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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

She'll do anything to protect her own life

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$17,007, 1 February 2009

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.

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Goofs

When Wayne is working on the barge he is not wearing a Type II flotation vest as required by US Coast Guard while in motion and working.

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in Unikal'noe pozdravlenie (2014)

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Soundtracks

Doin' The Best I Can
Words and Music by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman
Performed by Elvis Presley
Courtesy of the RCA Records Label
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Not very memorable,but entertaining

The plot summary of Killshot sounds as one of many cheap thrillers which infest the dusty shelves of video stores and the night hour from some modest cable-TV channels, because we have two formulas we have seen on many movies from this genre: the retired killer who is going to do his last job, but is betrayed by his powerful bosses and the couple who accidentally witness a crime and have to run from the murderers.But...wait a minute! Killshot is based on a book written by the brilliant Elmore Leonard,the cast includes various solid actors (Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson and Thomas Jane) and it is directed by John Madden, an Academy Award nominated filmmaker with a competent filmography of art-house films.In other words, before watching this movie, you do not have to expect a cheap straight-to-DVD action film in the lines of the ones which are starred by Wesley Snipes, Marc Dacascos or Steven Seagal.Killshot resulted to be a good thriller,and although it is not very memorable,it kept me entertained.

The story from this film is a bit predictable, but the intense performances and precise direction increase the suspense, so the final result is a competent thriller which achieves a good combination between Leonard's "noir" sensibility and a modern cinematographic style.

I liked the atmosphere of a small town this movie brings and to see the story set in the frontier of the United States and Canada,offering a different landscape to the typical locations from Los Ángeles or New York.I think the best elements from Killshot are its methodical rhythm and the logical chain of causes and consequences which drive us to a satisfactory ending.Although Killshot does not have much in common with Madden's previous films (Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Proof and the famous Shakespeare in Love), his mature and disciplined work is also seen in here, because he lets the story to flow on a natural rhythm.

In conclusion, Killshot is an entertaining thriller, and I can give a recommendation to it, in spite of being a bit predictable and not very memorable.