Shatter

Stuart Whitman is an international assassin with an evocative name. After performing a hit on a corrupt African leader, he takes refuge in Hong Kong. There he soons begins an affair with Lily Li and an alliance with her brother, martial arts master Lung Ti. But Whitman does not seem to be popular, and several distinct and disparate forces, like the international crime syndicate, the dead dictator's brother, and the British government in the person of Peter Cushing (in his last role for Hammer). And other shadowy forces that want the money he collected for his work, as well as some significant photographs he holds.

This co-production between Hammer and the Shaw Brothers was a troubled production. Monte Hellman shot most of it, but there were delays because Hellman and the cameraman were ill. So Michael Carreras fired Hellman, directed what was left, and took sole credit. Like many martial arts movies in this period, there's just enough of a story to set up the fight scenes. Whitman is stalwart, Miss Li is pretty, and Cushing, as usual, gives value for money.

Shatter, an international contract killer, has been assigned to assassinate the President of a small African country and collect his fee from a bank in the Far East. On arrival in Hong Kong his life is threatened and when the bank denies all knowledge of payment arrangements, he realises he has been drawn into a dangerous game where there are no rules. Amongst the players are the Mafia and several foreign intelligence services and the stakes being played for are deadly.

Stuart Whitman as hitman Shatter looks suitably shattered and world weary. He does a fine job in a film that isn't a James Bond-style film. It's more of a gritty action thriller that benefits from aforementioned Whitman's presence, Peter Cushing ( who can make anything good), Hong Kong location, and Ti Lung's fighting. A lot of kung fu fighters lack Bruce Lee's brand of to-the-point, bone-crushing speed and dynamically charged school of hard knocks, but Ti Lung achieves this to a certain degree. I was impressed. Without the kung fu fighting and other attractions I had mentioned, it can be rather dull, lacks spark and muddled; it isn't great, but just ok.

Long unavailable on home vid, this was just one of the many projects that cult maestro Monte Hellman ghost-directed. So when the good folks at Roan decided to release this on LD, I jumped at the chance to get a copy. At forty bucks, it was worth it. But I had to order off the Dollar Menu for the rest of the week.

It was a long-held belief that Hellman only directed a small portion of the film before being sacked and replaced by producer Michael Carreras. But in the running commentary, Hellman, upon seeing the movie for the very first time, was surprised to see that at least 80% of the final cut is his.

Though no "Background to Danger," this is a very passable B-adventure, with Whitman a fine hero/foil. Whitman's Shatter is another in the long line of Hellman loner-man-on-the-outside-looking-in protagonists. The film also bears striking similarities with the long forgotten "Karate-the Hand of Death" (1961)about an American Karate expert returning to Japan after the war and runs afoul of some mob types. "Shatter" is a decent way to spend an hour and a half on a rainy afternoon, and a find for Monte Hellman completeists.

Part of a three film deal (only two pictures were actually made -- the other being LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES), SHATTER was intended as a copy of the hip actioners being made in the U.S. Unfortunately, much of the film involves the title character hiding out from pursuers, as he tries to sort out a killing he'd been contracted to provide, but which he'd been undercut on and set up as the fall guy for. In the meantime, the guilty parties and others are on the hunt for Shatter, and he can't be certain of his few allies.

Peter Cushing's final Hammer role, as a cynical intelligence operative who refuses to help Shatter and may have an undisclosed agenda of his own.

Very minor material and only for Cushing completists.

I have almost no memory of this film, yet I'm writing a review. Go figure!

I seem to remember Stuart Whitman as some sort of hit-man in Hong Kong. It was entertaining and badly dubbed and fairly gory; the sort of movie HBO used to fill up their schedule with when they weren't showing more traditional features and before they went off the air at midnight.

My suggestion is to read the ten other reviews and, if this long-lost and forgettable Kung Fu/Spy flick piques your interest, rent it or buy a used copy.

Enjoy!