As the 80s continue to be on everyone’s entertainment radar of late, I want to steer your eyes toward a small thriller from 1988 directed by the Roger Spottiswoode called Shoot To Kill (or Deadly Pursuit if you’re not from North America). A mix between a deep woods action thriller and a violent whodunnit, it’s certainly a product of its time, but with a great cast, loads of ambitious setpieces, and a cool story, this is great fun that won’t let you down while serving up just the right amount that old school nostalgia you’re after.
After a wild opening volley with a madman holding a wealthy jeweller’s wife hostage for diamonds, FBI agent Warren Stantin (Sidney Poitier) loses his target with some deadly consequences. Now on a manhunt, they track him to the woods near the Canadian border, believing he’s now traveling with a group of fishermen hiking up along a wilderness trail, led by guide Sarah Renell (Kirstie Alley). Needing to catch up, Stantin enlists the help of Jonathan Knox (Tom Berenger), Sarah’s rugged mountain man partner and the two head in pursuit, facing the wilds of nature in hunting down a killer with no remorse.
Shot on location in some rather tricky terrain, this is a cross between Cliffhanger and a buddy cop flick with a twist, and while the plot lets the cat out of the bag far too early than it feels it should, it more than makes up for it with some genuine outdoor thrills. Sure, pitting the hardcore backcountry woodman against the old school city dweller can be a little obvious with Knox having to break Stantin into the rigors of surviving in the mountains, but the two are fun together with bits of good drama and well-earned comedy. That’s thanks to some raw performances from Poitier and Berenger, who are better than the material and with the help of Spottiswoode’s excellent direction give this the authenticity it needs.
By today’s actions standards, where stunts have become so overwrought that a plain old car crash has no thrill in it anymore, there will be some who think this might have no punch, especially in an age where stars like Tom Cruise have completely changed the dynamic of the genre. However, Shoot To Kill embraces the 1970s approach to filmmaking and delivers gritty, believable action with men who aren’t superhuman but rather hard beaten soldiers of their profession, leading to a few great moments where things go very wrong and it takes working together to just stay alive.
Kirstie Alley is pretty much wasted though, starting out as a strong female character in charge of a group of less-than-ready campers and seems positioned to have some greater role to play by the end. However, she’s just the hostage, left to fearing for her life and pushed aside when the finale rolls around, feeling like a missed opportunity in today’s social climate. You can bet if this were ever to be a remake (that is not an endorsement of such a thing), this would be the first thing changed.
I absolutely can’t talk about the bad guy as that would spoil a major hook for the first half, though the movie does cast a few notable actors who at the time were known for being lawbreakers on film, including Clancy Brown, Frederick Coffin, Andrew Robinson, and Richard Masur. It’s a guessing game for awhile, though not for long enough as the story has to get moving, dumping its mystery in one swift shot, shifting the momentum straight to action. It is what it is and while it’s disappointing it doesn’t do something more clever with that potential, grabs hold of its new direction and runs with it in all the right ways. Shoot To Kill is a fast-paced, old school flick that deserves a bigger audience. Give it look.