Sulle tracce dell'assassino

Shoot To Kill (GB title: Deadly Pursuit) is a lively, fairly intelligent action film which benefits from good character development. Many post-1980 action films suffer because they are empty spectacles, full of boring stock characters and visually impressive/emotionally redundant stunts. However, this one is different. There are eight main characters (all of them well-realized) as well as a fundamentally exciting plot, sharp dialogue, and a spectacular mountain setting.

FBI agent Warren Stanton (Sidney Poitier) is desperate to track down a dangerous jewel thief following a botched hostage situation. He suspects that the thief has joined a five-man hiking party in the rugged wilderness near Spokane. Unfortunately, there is no way of contacting the hiking guide Sarah (Kirstie Alley) to warn her that a dangerous killer is among her group. Instead, Stanton has to put his trust in another mountain guide, rough and tough Jonathan Knox (Tom Berenger). The unlikely pair pursue the hiking group, hoping to reach them before the killer strikes again.

The film moves at a good pace. Interest is generated on several different fronts: the volatile relationship between Stanton and Knox; the intriguing guessing-game as to which member of the hiking party is actually the jewel thief/killer; the "race-against-time" tension (as soon as the hikers have entered Canada, the killer could dispose of them at any time). There is spectacular action, but it is not emphasised to such an overwhelming degree that other story threads are lost. Shoot To Kill is a very commendable action film and it is a pity that more films in the genre are not up to the same standard.

I haven't watched this since I was 15 years old in 1990 and I liked it then and 30 odd years later it's still a good watch. Much better than action/thrillers being made these days.

Thriiling and moving thriller with unstopped action from start to finish . It deals with a streetwise FBI agent determined to track down a cruel series killer who at whatever cost wants to get a valuable loot , including killing and kidnapping . Vengefully , Poitier follows the trail up into the remote mountains on the Canadian border, a far place where a polish cop is comically out of water . As the chase against the homicidal maniac leads to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest , where the tough Inspector teams with tracker Tom Berenguer , while his sweetheart , Kirstie Ally , another mountain guide is held hostage .

This tense and nail-biting thriller is packed with as much taut action as the storyline will allow , but let down at times . Sidney Poitier returns to the big screen after a ten-year absence to portray a city-wise FBI enforcer similar to his previous Inspector Tibbs , and here as the urban fish unfamiliar with the rural pond . While Tom Berenguer does well as the two-fisted mountainer who will stop at nothing to find his kidnapped girlfriend : Kirstie Alley . All the clichés clock in , characterisation is simple and cardboard, but the film works enough . It contains an agreeable chemistry between the two leads : Sidney Poitier and Tom Berenguer providing sympathy and humor . They are very well accompanied by a fine support cast with plenty of familiar faces, such as : Kirstie Ally, Clancy Brown, Richard Masur , Andrew Robinson, Frederick Coffin, among others .

It packs a picturesque cinematography shot on stunning locations in Vancouver , Briitsh Columbia , Canada , Norhwest Pacific , splendidly photographed by cameraman by Michael Chapman. As well as atmospheric and stirring musical score by John Scott , though composed by means of synthesizer . The motion picture was competently directed by Roger Spottiswoode though it draws some flaws and gasps in about equal number . Robert has made nice and successful films of all kinds of genres , such as : Terror Train, Under Fire, The Best of Times , Turner and Hooch, Air America, Stop or My Mother will Shot , And the Band Played On, Tomorrow Never Dies, God's Favorite, The 6th Day and several others . The flick will appeal to Sidney Poitier and Tom Berenguer fans . Well worth seeing

I would just like to start off this review by giving Sidney Poitier the recognition he deserves. He is most definitely one of the most distinguished and talented actors of our generation and a role model for all aspiring actors! Now, on with the review. I first saw this movie during a vacation to the beach with my friend and his family. I had seen several other Poitier efforts such as "In the Heat of the Night" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?",and I stumbled upon this thriller while watching television on one of the nights that it rained. I stopped at TBS and I'm certainly glad that I did! This movie is one of best Poitier movies I've ever viewed! This film incorporates comedy into a genre the usually takes itself a little too seriously. The movie has an overall seriousness about it, but there are a few cheeky moments between Poitier and Berenger. Some of these comedic moments include: a scene where Berenger and Poitier are in an ice tunnel during a snow storm. Berenger is laying on top of Poitier to keep him from freezing to death. Poitier asks something like : "What are you queer or something?!" and Berenger says something like: "What's the matter? Haven't you ever heard about us mountain boys?" Another funny moment comes when Poitier is trying to scale a wall even though he is exhausted. Berenger is at the top trying to convince him to go back. The look on Poitier's face is more than enough to inspire a chuckle. The performances, the direction, and the cinematography are all well done in this film. The beautiful mountain landscapes inspire sort of a wistful feeling that can often be distracting. I'll also give a thumbs up to the sound effects department of this film. The sound of the rope snapping when Berenger was plummeting from the cable extending across the gorge was enough to make me wince with agony. This movie was executed well and my only complaint was that the villain's identity was revealed earlier than I thought it should have been. All in all I think it was a solid effort that I think anyone who is a fan of suspense films will enjoy. Your best bet as far as renting this movie is to go to a hole-in-the-wall movie rental store that never throws any movie away because, as other reviews have said, it is very hard to find. You may get lucky once in a blue moon and catch it on TBS or TNT, but the edited for TV versions are never as good as the uncut versions. If none of the mom and pop movie rental outlets still carry it, go to blockbuster and demand that they order this movie for you! This movie is a definite must-see for any fan of the suspense genre! FINAL SCORE 9/10

Deadly Pursuit certainly has it's fair share of problems, but as an entertaining little action thriller; it stands up well to criticism, as while some of the dialogue, situations and character drawings don't exactly ring true; the film moves quickly and director Roger Spottiswoode does a good job of ensuring that the film is easy viewing and never becomes boring. Deadly Pursuit is something of a film of two halves; it starts off as a gritty cop thriller, and then mutates into a survivalist themed chase movie. The plot is fairly standard at first, as we witness a man being caught robbing a diamond store. The plot thickens when, after some interrogation from the arresting officers, it turns out that the thief actually owns the store! We then learn that he's stealing the diamonds to pay a kidnapper for the release of his wife. FBI agent Warren Stantin manages to chase the kidnapper down, but he gets away with the diamonds and flees into a forest near Canada; thus meaning that Agent Stantin must chase the killer into the woods, with the help of a rugged local who knows the area.

The film does have a number of problems - sometimes, for example, it seems to just jump from one scene to the next without much in the way of a connection. This does keep things moving, but the film can feel a bit disjointed because of it. Still, the plot flows fairly well and enough different angles are created to keep things interesting. The film features a decent cast, headed up by Sidney Poitier. Poitier's character changes a lot through the film, and while the actor sometimes looks a bit silly, he does seem to manage this well. He is joined by Tom Berenger, who also gives a decent performance in his role, while the rest of the cast is filled out by the likes of Clancy Brown, Kirstie Alley and Andrew Robinson. Perhaps the best thing about this movie is the fact that we don't know who the killer is for so long, which builds suspense - and mystery, and the film also carries off a nice twist little twist with the choice of actors surrounding the killer. Overall, I can't really say that Deadly Pursuit is one of the best films of its type - but it's certainly a very good thriller and I recommend watching it!