Killshot

Killshot is a movie that for some reason its creators tried to kill early on. Anytime a film is pushed back a year or two, chances are the reason is that it isn't any good. However, this film's release was not only pushed back for years, but when it did finally see the big screen, it was for literally one week in Arizona. Not New York or L.A., Arizona! This movie has the pedigree of a champion, with stars like Mickey Rourke, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Diane Lane, Rosario Dawson and Thomas Jane. It's based on a novel by Elmore Leonard and directed by Guy Madden. What could possibly go wrong? Oh, and it's produced by the Weisteins... These guys always seem to defy logic when dealing with their films, although in this case, it turns out that they might have been right.

Mickey Rourke is the focus of the film for the most part, playing a native American hit man on the run from his criminal bosses after a botched job. He has plenty of back story and motive for most of his actions, but when he and his newly found sidekick (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are seen attempting an armed robbery/extortion, the lengths they go to to try to kill the witnesses seem absurd to me. The witnesses (Diane Lane and Thomas Jane) didn't see them actually commit a murder, yet they have to enter witness protection, only to move back home inexplicably after a short period of time, even though the criminals were still at large.

Overall the acting was pretty good, although Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character was a bit over the top, reminding me of his wigger, hip gangster wanna-be role in 2005's Havoc (famous for its Anne Hathaway sex/nude scenes). The thing that brings down this movie is the story, or the execution thereof. Having not read the book it's based on, I can only assume that Leonard's version was a bit more cohesive and interesting, but it just did not translate well to the screen. I didn't hate it by any means, but this was a highly anticipated film for a while and to see it come in well short of expectations is a bit disappointing. Killshot definitely looks better on paper (or on its IDMB page, if you prefer), with all of the before mentioned talent involved, but in the end it turns out to be a mediocre thriller, with most of its talent wasted.