Shoot to Kill

"It's about staying alive."

1988 1h 49m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 279

ActionThrillerCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a cunning murderer vanishes into the rugged mountains of the Pacific Northwest, pursuing FBI agent Warren Stantin must exchange familiar city streets for unknown wilderness trails. Completely out of his element, Stantin is forced to enlist the aid of expert tracker Jonathan Knox. It's a turbulent yet vital relationship they must maintain in order to survive... and one that becomes increasingly desperate when Knox's girlfriend Sarah becomes the killer's latest hostage!

“It's about staying alive.”

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Cast

Sidney Poitier
Warren Stantin
Tom Berenger
Jonathan Knox
Kirstie Alley
Sarah Renell
Clancy Brown
Steve
Richard Masur
Norman
Andrew Robinson
Harvey
Kevin Scannell
Ben
Frederick Coffin
Ralph

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Writers: Harv Zimmel, Michael Burton, Daniel Petrie Jr.
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Roger Spottiswoode, shot by Michael Chapman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Scott. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor George Bowers shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Sidney Poitier and Tom Berenger and Kirstie Alley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It's about staying alive.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0096098 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roger Spottiswoode directs. Michael Chapman behind the camera. John Scott scores. George Bowers cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

138 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Roger Spottiswoode, shot by Michael Chapman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by John Scott. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor George Bowers shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Sidney Poitier and Tom Berenger and Kirstie Alley carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "It's about staying alive.".
7IMDB entry: tt0096098 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 14 themes, including "canada", "police", "diamond", "kidnapping".
9Released under 36 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Michael Chapman
Original score: John Scott
Editing: George Bowers
Production design: Richard Sylbert
Costume design: Richard Bruno
Makeup / hair: Joann Wabisca
Runtime: 109 min · 1h 49m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $29,300,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Shoot to Kill (1988)

Also by

Roger Spottiswoode

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Community reviews

What people are saying

GenerationofSwine2023-01-11
★ 10/10
I guess I'm giving it a 10, I mean, Sidney Poitier is always believable. I think that is the best thing you can say about him. But the problem here is that he has a legendary reputation and this is just a throw-away cop movie. So you see his name attached and you start thinking it's going to be Oscar worthy off the bat, and, it's not. But, at the same time, Sidney Poitier is believable, and Berenger is creepy is just the right sort of way. And that is not a complaint, because he really is the hermit that is oddly uncomfortable and still perfect for the role. So, if you ask me, this is one of Tom Berenger's better roles in a not Oliver Stone flick. It's just Alley that is sort of an eye roll. She doesn't do a bad job, but Berenger nailed it and Poitier was as believable in the role as always... and then Alley was just playing 80s girl, and that is sort of the killer. That is sort of what takes it from a great movie to another throw away genre movie. But, you have two actors, Berenger and Poitier, who repentantly looked at the script and thought, this is a challenge, lets see if we can bring more to the roles than anyone expects. And they are VERY generous with each other, and it sort of kills me that they weren't in more films together. So, what you have is an 80s throwaway that two people really stepped up to sell, so it sticks with you despite it being just another cop movie. And that sort of determines my score for me.
kevin20192024-01-24
★ 10/10
"Shoot to Kill" makes extremely good use of some absolutely breathtaking outdoor locations. It is also a very well paced and totally engaging film throughout and it features an admittedly heart stopping stunt that will literally take your breath away when Knox falls from a rope suspended over a picturesque and deadly gorge after he has been struck by the trolley used to transport people across the head spinning and nausea-inducing gulf. There are also a wide range of wilderness survival tips and tracking techniques employed which help to place you in Poitier's predicament and it leaves you feeling as lost as he so obviously is when these necessary techniques come into play. It also teaches us the valuable lesson that if we were ever stranded in the unforgiving wilderness we would be incredibly lucky to survive for five seconds.