Killshot (2008)

Director:

John Madden

Writers (WGA):

Hossein Amini (screenplay)
Elmore Leonard (novel)

Release Date:

13 November 2008 (Israel)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Witness Protection Program | Topless Female Nudity | Gun Held To Head | Shot To Death | Voice Over Narration

Cast

Mickey Rourke	...	Armand 'The Blackbird' Degas
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 Colson
Robert Gow	...	Prospective Buyer #1
Catherine Hayos	...	Prospective Buyer #2
Thomas Jane	...	Wayne Colson
Craig Blair	...	Construction Site Foreman
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Richie Nix
Lynne Deragon	...	Mrs. Palino
Rosario Dawson	...	Donna

Also Known As:

Киллер (Russia) [ru]
El ave Negra (Argentina) [es]
Killshot - Alvo a Abater (Portugal) [pt]
Killshott - Tiro Certo (Brazil) [pt]
O dolofonos einai edo (Greece) [el]
Tiro mortal (Mexico) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA

Company:

FilmColony

Trivia:

The release date changed several times because the film has undergone a series of re-shoots after it's original completion date in January 2006.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After Richie Nix's shooting rampage in the gas station, a close up reveals that his shotgun is an obvious cheap plastic replica.

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.

Soundtrack:

Suspicion

Rather disappointing

I saw the movie after checking its rating on IMDb. Back then, it was at 8.0 and I thought, "wow! That must be a good one". I thought wrong. The beginning of the movie actually keeps what the plot promises, but then it goes exponentially down underneath its basement. I think without the character of Richie Nix, it might have been alright - although he is the reason the story line takes the course it does. The character is just too extreme for my liking, and hard to endure. Also, the journey the main character takes from the beginning of the story till its "climax" at the end is partly irrelevant and could easily have been omitted - the alternative is, I just did not understand the movie.

Although I must admit that it is "easy watching", and I had no problems sitting through the whole movie, when it had finished I was somewhat unimpressed by the ending. All in all, rather mediocre.