Shoot to Kill – AKA Deadly Pursuit (in my mind the better title anyway) is a low key throwback to another era, where competence and efficiency were sufficient and hooks weren’t required.
A hostage is taken. The ransom: diamonds.
All goes well initially, FBI negotiator Agent Stanton (Sidney Poitier) brokers the handover, only to botch the transfer despite his honey soaked tones. The hostage is killed and the perpetrator heads north to the Canadian border.
But Stanton is no quitter, he joins with grizzled mountain tourguide Knox (Tom Berenger) to pursue his man, who has now hijacked a small party of weekend adventurers and most notably Sarah (Kirstie Alley), who happens to be Knox’s mountain mama.
The film is effective because it is a straight cat and mouse affair. The killer is identified early, the pursuers each given credible reasons for wanting to track him, and then it becomes an exercise in delaying the inevitable in as entertaining a manner as possible.
To assist in maintaining tension we don’t even know who the killer for a good proportion of the film. In the early sequences he is always hidden and once in the touring party he could be any one of five likely looking lads. On top of this it is inevitable that Stanton and Knox cannot get along, it’s no fun watching two buddies holding hands and moving along amicably – therefore the differences are played up to the max. Thankfully the primary difference isn’t the race card, but the city vs country upbringing.
Berenger is at his gruff and grumpy best, Poitier determined and dignified as he interacts with nature in ways he likely never dreamed possible, even Kirstie Alley is in good form, looking pretty good in a homely way some 20 plus years – and dress sizes – ago.
Shoot to Kill / Deadly Pursuit isn’t a household name for good reason, it is pretty predictable and doesn’t boast a scene to grab your attention, but it is nonetheless a solid effort with a small but excellent cast and enough thrills and chuckles to make it worth your while.
Final Rating – 7 / 10. Unfairly forgotten low key thriller. There isn’t much to demand that you watch, but there aren’t too many things wrong with it.
