A Facebook friend reminded me of this great movie from 1988. Known as Shoot to Kill in USA, the European title Deadly Pursuit has made this rarely seen film often difficult to find. Luckily I own a DVD copy and I watch it often.
It’s hokum, but good fun. A killer on the run picture that takes a city cop to the wilderness and then reverses the situation by taking the wilderness man back to the city. It’s Sidney Poitier and Tom Berenger, but don’t forget Kirstie Alley who’s good as the girl.
So, what’s to recommend about this film? Well Poitier and Berenger are great together and the Pacific Northwest Mountains look lovely. It’s got a few laughs and director Roger Spottiswoode keeps things moving along at a good pace.
Essentially it’s a fish out of water action film, Hollywood was big on the fish out of water formula back in the 80s (think Crocodile Dundee and Beverley Hills Cop). This film works well and is actually ripe for a reboot.
From time to time the whole movie appears on YouTube (or even Channel5). It’s worth watching on a Sunday afternoon.
So, 44 films to go…
Matthew Cooper has written for Emmerdale, Eastenders, Hollyoaks and Family Affairs. He was winner of the first ever Lloyds Bank Channel Four Film Challenge and the Oscar Moore Screenplay Prize. His first short film starred a then unknown Ewan McGregor and was picked up by Channel Four when Matthew was 19 years old. He’s been a script writer for hire and filmmaker for hire for over 20 years.