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:

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

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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

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

Viggo Mortensen and Justin Timberlake were considered for the roles of Wayne Colson and Richie Nix, respectively.

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Goofs

When Amand is standing on the front of the Walpole-Algonac Ferry next to his car, you can clearly see the sign on the front of the ferry on the rail with the words Wallpole Island spelled with two L's.

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Quotes

Armand 'The Blackbird' Degas: Real life? What the fuck is real life?

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Connections

Referenced in Unique Congratulation (2014)

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Soundtracks

Suspicion
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

Suspense, Thriller, Romance and Missing Pieces

KILLSHOT is far from being a great movie. I suppose it could be said that it isn't even a movie, but instead a DVD project as it has a rather leaden history. But though there was no theatrical release to garner public interest and little promotional material about its shelf release, it may just find an audience among word of mouth promotion. It has enough elements to keep the interest of even late at night tired viewers - and that says a lot these days. Elmore Leonard's novel has been reconstructed by Hossein Amini and John Madden has done his best to string together the various beads of the plots that comprise this story, and the result is a film peppered by some worthwhile actors who do their best to make the implausible story lines work.

Armand 'Blackbird' Degas (Mickey Rourke) is a long time hit-man, an American Indian with a past pasted together by tragedies who accepts an assignment to make a new kill. His plan is disrupted by his accidental and maladaptive association with a bona fide psychopath Richie Nix (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and girlfriend Donna (Rosario Dawson). Nix decides to partner with Blackbird and in the process they encounter a 'couple on the rocks' - Carmen and Wayne Colson (Thomas Jane and Diane Lane) - who happen to witness an incident that puts them in danger of Nix and Blackbird's recipe for not leaving witnesses. The couple is put on Witness Protection Program but that doesn't dent the clever Blackbird from accomplishing his goals. The rest of the story is a cat and mouse chase that has some moments of real terror. And as in most of Leonard's stories, things don't turn out the way they seem to suggest.

Things are missing from this film that create holes in the story and stretch credibility. The work by the lead actors is quite good as is that of the momentary cameos by such luminaries as Hal Holbrook and Lois Smith. A great film this is not, but a film that maintains attention/tension it is and worth an evening's entertainment. Grady Harp