Shotgun follows the story of Rivington, an evil British defence lawyer who spends his spare time beating up ladies of the night. Along the way he kills one, who's brother happens to be Ian Jones, a tough a LA cop who has a habit for doing things his own way. After losing his badge and his partner Max is shot, Ian has to resort to unconventional manners to hit Rivington hard, at his drug compound in Mexico.
Famed for an exceptional performance from the legendary Rif Hutton as Max Bilings, Shotgun' is a textbook example of how to create a virtually seamless action/thriller. Director Addison Randall at one point thought this low-budget movie would never be made as he was forced to work with a very small budget, a short shooting schedule and a studio that was only interested in releasing any many films as possible. However, Shotgun was made and nowadays is accepted as one of the finest action/thrillers of all time despite not receiving the praise it so greatly deserved back in the late 80's. Shotgun was brilliantly written as well as directed by Addison Randall who chose to add very subtle clues as to what would happen that are made more apparent on further viewings. With the added advantage of obvious research into the seedy areas of LA, Shotgun sought to portray the movie is left with a chilling feel of realism.
An enchanting soundtrack is blended marvellously into Shotgun which seems to lull the viewer into a false sense of security. Despite the constant foreboding feeling created by the intricate plot and top notch acting, there is a certain playful feeling that is brought about by the elegant soundtrack making it difficult to actually envisage any evil events occurring. One could be forgiven for wondering on a first viewing just where this bizarre little movie is going but the story has a quality about it that can grab the viewer and keep their interest all the way to the double barrelled vengeance served at the end. Rivington in the bondage gear is an image that is now engrained on my mind with all its emptiness and despair. As the curtain falls on this performance (so to speak) it becomes hard not to question the events leading up to the attacks. In some ways Shotgun is an unsettling history lesson that makes itself seem all too real.
Stuart Chapin gives a tremendous performance as the Detective Ian Jones, a man with a dirty job that somebody has to do and an abusive and power hungry captain. He played his character convincingly and Ian's eventual realisation of what is going on around him is portrayed so well that it adds more realism to the movie. Chapin was able to take a character that may be a figure of loathing in another type of thriller movie (the brother of a hooker) and make the audience feel empathy towards him. However, as mentioned before, Rif Hutton somehow stole the show playing the relatively small part of Max Bilings. His magnificent on screen presence seems so powerful that one forgets that he is only in the movie for a short amount of time. Added to this great mix was Katie Caple as Tanya Jones, Ian's beautiful hooker sister. Her getting undressed was one of the most erotic moments in a thriller and helped to contribute further realism to the movie. The scenes featuring the clashing characters of Ian and Tanya are both amusing and tense making for some interesting character interaction.
Shotgun is undoubtedly a cult classic of the action/thriller genre which I recommend to all fans of action/thrillers. Visually pleasing with some superb acting and direction as well as a fine screenplay. My rating for Shotgun = 10/10
Famed for an exceptional performance from the legendary Rif Hutton as Max Bilings, Shotgun' is a textbook example of how to create a virtually seamless action/thriller. Director Addison Randall at one point thought this low-budget movie would never be made as he was forced to work with a very small budget, a short shooting schedule and a studio that was only interested in releasing any many films as possible. However, Shotgun was made and nowadays is accepted as one of the finest action/thrillers of all time despite not receiving the praise it so greatly deserved back in the late 80's. Shotgun was brilliantly written as well as directed by Addison Randall who chose to add very subtle clues as to what would happen that are made more apparent on further viewings. With the added advantage of obvious research into the seedy areas of LA, Shotgun sought to portray the movie is left with a chilling feel of realism.
An enchanting soundtrack is blended marvellously into Shotgun which seems to lull the viewer into a false sense of security. Despite the constant foreboding feeling created by the intricate plot and top notch acting, there is a certain playful feeling that is brought about by the elegant soundtrack making it difficult to actually envisage any evil events occurring. One could be forgiven for wondering on a first viewing just where this bizarre little movie is going but the story has a quality about it that can grab the viewer and keep their interest all the way to the double barrelled vengeance served at the end. Rivington in the bondage gear is an image that is now engrained on my mind with all its emptiness and despair. As the curtain falls on this performance (so to speak) it becomes hard not to question the events leading up to the attacks. In some ways Shotgun is an unsettling history lesson that makes itself seem all too real.
Stuart Chapin gives a tremendous performance as the Detective Ian Jones, a man with a dirty job that somebody has to do and an abusive and power hungry captain. He played his character convincingly and Ian's eventual realisation of what is going on around him is portrayed so well that it adds more realism to the movie. Chapin was able to take a character that may be a figure of loathing in another type of thriller movie (the brother of a hooker) and make the audience feel empathy towards him. However, as mentioned before, Rif Hutton somehow stole the show playing the relatively small part of Max Bilings. His magnificent on screen presence seems so powerful that one forgets that he is only in the movie for a short amount of time. Added to this great mix was Katie Caple as Tanya Jones, Ian's beautiful hooker sister. Her getting undressed was one of the most erotic moments in a thriller and helped to contribute further realism to the movie. The scenes featuring the clashing characters of Ian and Tanya are both amusing and tense making for some interesting character interaction.
Shotgun is undoubtedly a cult classic of the action/thriller genre which I recommend to all fans of action/thrillers. Visually pleasing with some superb acting and direction as well as a fine screenplay. My rating for Shotgun = 10/10