Bullet Points: Shoot to Kill

Last month when the news broke that Sidney Poitier had died I could not help but think back on Mr. Poitier’s contributions to the action genre over the years.

His famous line “They Call Me Mr. Tibbs!” from 1967’s In the Heat of the Night , that went on to become the title of the 1970 sequel, was the first thing that popped into my mind. Then oddly enough I recalled 1988’s Little Nikita. I remembered The Organization (the third film in the Virgil Tibbs trilogy), The Defiant Ones and even The Wilby Conspiracy. But there was one Sidney Poitier movie I saw mentioned several times on social media in the days following his death that I had no recollection of… 1988’s Shoot to Kill.

• The Family Jewels: Some movies have the ability to grab you right from the start, Shoot to Kill is one of those movies. It all starts off with a pajama clad diamond merchant frantically entering his jewelry store in the middle of the night and assembling a mass quantity of diamonds into a bag… this less than usual behavior attracts the attention of the authorities, both local and federal. Enter Warren Stantin of the FBI (played by the legendary Sidney Poitier). The diamond merchant, Mr. Berger, does not cooperate at first, saying these are his jewels and he can do with them as he pleases… but eventually Berger reveals that there is a psychopath at his home that has already killed his daughter and is threatening to do the same to his wife UNLESS he can provide him millions of dollars in diamonds. This leads to a police standoff outside Berger Manor with Warren Stantin in control, trying to outfox his foe… but the end result, the killer gets away with the diamonds and Mrs. Berger ends up with a bullet in her eye. This opening sequence was masterfully executed, keeping the identity of the killer a complete mystery and throwing down the challenge at Warren Stantin’s feet… he MUST bring this man to justice no matter what it takes.

• The Great Outdoors: It’s not only what it takes, it is where it takes Warren Stantin too. The FBI learns that the killer has made his way to the Pacific Northwest and Stantin is not about to let him escape to Canada, so he makes his way north and learns that the killer has assumed the identity of one of the members of a hiking trip being led by Sarah Rennell (Kirstie Alley, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan). The hikers include Norman (Richard Masur, Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann), Steve (Clancy Brown, Highlander), Harvey (Andrew Robinson, Cobra), Ben (Kevin Scannell) and Ralph (Frederick Coffin, Memorial Day). Even though I had a good idea who the killer was, it did not take away from the tension as you realize Sarah and the other 4 guys have NO IDEA there is a killer among them and it didn’t make the inevitable reveal any less terrifying.

• The Odd Couple: “Mr. Big City” Warren Stantin is probably not going to make it very far in the vast Pacific Northwest wilderness without a quality tracker, and the only one who knows the area as well as Sarah is Sarah’s business/life partner Jonathan Knox (Tom Berenger, The Substitute). Knox is not interested in teaming up with Stantin… Knox wants to save his girlfriend and believes that Stantin will only slow him down. But if there is one thing the two men have in common is that they are both stubborn. It is a classic scenario where both men are going to have to come together and use their individual skills to complete the goal and it is being played out by two top tier actors who worked well with one another.

• The Hard Knox Life: To add to the drama, a huge storm is on the way adding to the challenges that Knox and Stantin have to conquer. They are already playing catch up and under a huge time crunch as they try to catch up with the killer before he crosses the border and they both know full well when she is no longer useful, Sarah is in grave danger. So a blizzard is the last thing they need to deal with…

Shoot to Kill finished as strong as it started and it kept me engaged for the duration thanks to some truly great performances and a story that was easy to get invested in. If you were like me and slept on this one, you need to seek Shoot to Kill as soon as possible.

You should also read these Bonus Bullet Points as soon as possible, like right now…

• AKA: Shoot to Kill was released in the UK as Deadly Pursuit.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Sidney Poitier and Tom Berenger cuddle to stay warm, then Shoot to Kill is the movie for you.
• Familiar Face: I mentioned Mr. Berger, the diamond merchant, at the start of this review but I did not mention the actor that played him… Milton Selzer. I recognized Selzer from the “Funny, You Don’t Look It” episode of Sanford and Son.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Tom Berenger cook up some rodent for dinner, then Shoot to Kill is the movie for you.
• Cheers: Kirstie Alley and Tom Berenger would be reunited as a couple as part of the Cheers series finale in 1993.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Sidney Poitier scare off a grizzly bear, then Shoot to Kill is the movie for you.