Killshot

Plot synopsis:
Mafia hitman Armand Degas, known as "Blackbird", is hired to assassinate a mafia leader, whom he calls "Papa". Afterwards, he meets Richie Nix at a bar, where they decide to team up. Meanwhile, Wayne and Carmen Colson are living separated, with Carmen living in the house. Wayne gets fired from his construction job and decides to try to get a job at the same place as Carmen. When Wayne shows up at the office of Carmen's boss wearing a suit he gets mistaken as the man Richie and Blackbird are shaking down. When Richie starts trashing the office and demanding the money at gunpoint Wayne tells them he has it out in the car. He leads them out to his truck pretending to get money and instead grabs a metal rod from the back of his truck and attacks them. After knocking the gun out of Richie's hand and knocking Blackbird down Wayne chases Richie back into the building. Richie pulls one of his boots off to get his other gun and shoots at Wayne a few times before Wayne throws the metal rod at him and tackles him, knocking him out the window and crashing into a gazebo. They flee, but the Colsons have seen Blackbird, a man that no one is supposed to see.
Blackbird and Richie pay a visit to Lionel Adam, a local man and fellow Indian tribesman of Blackbird (played by actor Aldred Montoya) who Blackbird had once seen with Wayne. They go duck hunting in the local marshes while Blackbird presses Lionel for Wayne's whereabouts before killing him. They stay the night at the house of Nix's girlfriend Donna. The next day they show up outside of the Colsons' house planning to kill them. Before they can move out of the woods Wayne takes off in his truck after fighting with Carmen. Richie takes off after Wayne leaving Blackbird to kill Carmen. Wayne stops at a convenience store to get some beer and gets shot at by Richie who is robbing the store at the same time. When Richie has to stop to reload Wayne runs out of the store and drives off in his truck. Richie finishes robbing the store and shoots the clerk before he leaves. Meanwhile, at the house, Carmen has seen Blackbird walking toward the door and so she grabs the shotgun Wayne left with her and goes outside to confront him. After talking with Blackbird a bit she shoots at a tree to scare him off before going back inside to call the cops. The next morning while they are talking to the cops an FBI agent shows up and tells them about Blackbird. Because of the situation with Blackbird and the mafia the Colsons are put in Witness Protection services.
Blackbird and Richie figure out the Colsons have gone to Missouri by tricking Carmen's mother into giving Richie their new phone number. Rather than go after them in Missouri Blackbird fakes his and Richie's death by digging up his little brother's body and burning it in a car so that the DNA test would show that the body was related to his brother in prison. With the FBI thinking Blackbird is dead the Colsons no longer need protection and are allowed to return home. Before Blackbird and Richie leave Donna's house to kill the Colsons, Richie shoots Donna out of jealousy because she and Blackbird were getting along too well. When Carmen returns ahead of Wayne she finds Richie and Blackbird waiting.
While Carmen is a hostage, Richie torments her; he sprays her with buck lure. Blackbird tells her she will feel better if she washes herself off. When she comes out of the bathroom in her underwear Richie puts a bullet in her mouth and she spits it on the floor. While they wait for Wayne to come home they sit at the dinner table while Blackbird eats. Richie makes too many off color remarks including one that references Donna as being dead and screwing Elvis in heaven and Blackbird loses patience with him. Blackbird shoots Richie dead and says he did it because "he wasn't who I thought he was."
Wayne comes home, and realizes that his wife is being held hostage. As he runs back to his truck Blackbird bursts out the front door and starts shooting at him. Wayne manages to take cover behind his car and get his shotgun. They exchange fire for a bit before Blackbird hits Wayne with one of his shots. As Blackbird moves in for the killshot, he pauses and turns around to see Carmen pointing Richie's gun at him. Blackbird thinks it is empty because he took the bullets out of it so he doesn't react to the threat, forgetting the one bullet she spit out of her mouth earlier. While Blackbird is distracted by Carmen, Wayne crawls to his shotgun and he and Carmen shoot Blackbird dead at the same time. Wayne and Carmen hug each other outside their house as a pool of blood forms under Blackbird.

Tags: philosophical, flashback

Review:
The plot summary of Killshot sounds as one of many cheap thrillers which infest the dusty shelves of video stores and the night hour from some modest cable-TV channels, because we have two formulas we have seen on many movies from this genre: the retired killer who is going to do his last job, but is betrayed by his powerful bosses and the couple who accidentally witness a crime and have to run from the murderers.But...wait a minute!
Killshot is based on a book written by the brilliant Elmore Leonard,the cast includes various solid actors (Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson and Thomas Jane) and it is directed by John Madden, an Academy Award nominated filmmaker with a competent filmography of art-house films.In other words, before watching this movie, you do not have to expect a cheap straight-to-DVD action film in the lines of the ones which are starred by Wesley Snipes, Marc Dacascos or Steven Seagal.Killshot resulted to be a good thriller,and although it is not very memorable,it kept me entertained.The story from this film is a bit predictable, but the intense performances and precise direction increase the suspense, so the final result is a competent thriller which achieves a good combination between Leonard's "noir" sensibility and a modern cinematographic style.I liked the atmosphere of a small town this movie brings and to see the story set in the frontier of the United States and Canada,offering a different landscape to the typical locations from Los Ángeles or New York.I think the best elements from Killshot are its methodical rhythm and the logical chain of causes and consequences which drive us to a satisfactory ending.Although Killshot does not have much in common with Madden's previous films (Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Proof and the famous Shakespeare in Love), his mature and disciplined work is also seen in here, because he lets the story to flow on a natural rhythm.In conclusion, Killshot is an entertaining thriller, and I can give a recommendation to it, in spite of being a bit predictable and not very memorable..
Armand 'Blackbird' Degas (Mickey Rourke) is a long time hit-man, an American Indian with a past pasted together by tragedies who accepts an assignment to make a new kill.
Nix decides to partner with Blackbird and in the process they encounter a 'couple on the rocks' - Carmen and Wayne Colson (Thomas Jane and Diane Lane) - who happen to witness an incident that puts them in danger of Nix and Blackbird's recipe for not leaving witnesses.
KILLSHOT with Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson and Hal Holbrook, directed by John Madden.
MICKEY Rourke's intense and interesting performance as a troubled hit-man lifts this structurally flawed adaptation of Elmore Leonard's gritty crime novel.
"Killshot is a rather messy film that shows evidence of post-production edits and re-shoots, but Armand, Carmen and Richie are classic Leonard characters, there're one or two good shoot-outs and at least the films retains some of the master crime writer's wonderful trademark dialogue.
First of all, I did take a look at the cast: Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Diane Lane, Tom Jane...
When real estate agent Carmen Colson catches a glimpse of a hit-man named the Blackbird as he carries out a job, a subsequent request for her to testify against the aging gun for hire soon lands both Carmen and her husband, Wayne , in the Witness Protection Program.
Blackbird isn't a man who likes to leave loose ends when it comes to his work, though, and now as the seasoned assassin and his psychotic partner attempt to catch the couple in their crosshairs, Carmen and Wayne are going to need much more than a few federal agents to make it out of increasingly deadly situation alive Killshot is one of those low budget films that got a very limited release at the start of the year.
There is also some great acting from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the gorgeous Diane Lane.If your into violent gang related movies you wont be disappointed with Killshot.
It was a property that had been in the works for many years dating back to the mid-90s with the Weinsteins and nearly being made with a very intriguing pairing of De Niro in what is now Mickey Rourke's part of Blackbird and Quentin Tarantino in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's part of Richie Nix. And now, several years later, it comes to us direct to DVD (if it had a theatrical release I certainly missed it somehow), and considering its presentation as such, without any special features (out of shame or just not being able to get anyone for comment?) it's not that bad.
At least, not as bad as one might expect, that it would be another total bastardization of a classic Elmore Leonard novel filled with talky tough guys and flawed good guys and one of those plots that's more about character than story.
Well, at least not entirely.Its story is simple: hired killer with a bad rep, Blackbird, is seen by a guy (Thomas Jane) and his ex (Diane Lane) at a real estate office, and he and his not-really partner/mentee low-life Richie Nix need to go after them, because, as the line goes "she's seen my face." There's witness protection program moving, and eventually the killers follow up on their targets, yada yada.
Indeed, and I can't believe I'm writing this, the original choice, Tony Scott, would have been a more ideal candidate.So if the script is only marginally strong, depending on when or when not it seems to take its cues (if not actually take from the source) of the Leonard novel (certain scenes like the Elvis dialog, or the joke about Nix "not like Stevie Nicks, have that Leonard feel, while the characters Lane and Jane play are barely two-dimensional), and the direction only competent, why the partial recommendation?
Mickey Rourke could have potentially sleep-walked through the part, but there is something of a good performance kicking around, and some scenes, like his last scene of dialog with Carmen is compelling and the method he employs (one can see Rourke sticking around Indian reservations for months for such a thankless film) work its stuff.
Richie summons Armand to participate in a scheme to take money from a wealthy real estate agent, but he commits a mistake and the couple Wayne Colson (Thomas Jane) and Carmen Colson (Diane Lane) witness their action.
When legendary native American hit-man Arman 'The Blackbird' Degas (Mickey Rourke) botches a job for the Toronto mafia, he's forced on the run, and hides out with aimless young lunatic criminal Ritchie Nix (Joseph Gordon Levitt), who somewhat reminds him of a litte brother he lost years before.
Despite it's issues, I find it to be an atmospheric little pulp outing that does have the classic Leonard feel, a hard bitten, cold-hearted turn from Rourke that's one of his best characters in recent years, and a mean, unforgiving narrative set in picturesque northern Canada.
"Killshot" (2008) is a thriller/drama about a mob hit-man (Mickey Rourke) who inexplicably teams-up with a twerp psycho (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).
I think it's a terrific shame that this movie never saw a wider release when it was at least as good, and in some cases MUCH better than, all of the following action films released in the last 12 months:Shoot 'Em UpBody of LiesRamboPride and GloryRighteous KillJumpTakenIt's by no means a "must-see" film, but even so, it is still a solid, entertaining, and well paced action/thriller/drama.
While it is certainly not half the role that Rourke had to work with in The Wrestler, his part was still well played and had gravitas despite his mediocre Native American accent.Diane Lane was good as always.
With the right casting I have little doubt he has many awards waiting for him down the road.Despite a few minor flaws, this is absolutely worth a watch if you enjoy gritty action movies that don't insult your intelligence, and rely more on character development than CGI..
Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson & Thomas Jane.....Not a bad cast in my opinion however they were totally wasted in this movie.There was no real direction, there were no unusual turns, in fact the whole movie was very predictable from start to finish.
Mickey Rourke's hit man was cold as ice; Joseph Gordon-Levitt was the most appallingly awful villain I've seen in a long time; and Diane Lane in fetching underwear gave my octogenarian heart the most exercise it's had in a long time.
A unusual partnership between a experienced killer (Mickey Rourke) and a psychotic robber (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) on their mission to track down a couple (Diane Lane and Thomas Jane) who ruined their robbery at a real estate agency is the premise of "Killshot", an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's book.
Tension and some action is built in the plot where the main attractive thing is the killer team and many thrilling moments."Killshot" doesn't offer anything new except making of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character a dangerous and bigmouth one, the main surprise in the film, since he doesn't play this kind of guy very often.
In the end, I was left wondering why some of the characters were even in the movie, such as Rosario Dawson's character, who seemed to exist merely so that there'd be tension between Joseph Gordon Levitt and Mickey Rourke.In a true character study (rather than this somewhat tepid thriller) or a novel, you can spend time establishing multiple characters, giving them clear motives, and showing how they go about achieving their motives.
Diane Lane fans will also be happy, because she has a fair amount of screen time and some great wardrobe.Not sure whether this was filmed before or after Wrestler, but in any case Rourke or his agent are doing a good job in picking the right roles for his comeback.
****SPOILERS**** A drunk and pony tailed looking Mickey Rourke is Native American, or Cleveland Indian , hit-man Armand "Blackbird" Degas who screws up his latest hit-job by him and his high on and drugged up partner Richie Nix,Joseph Gordon-Levitt,knock off a real estate agency while customers Wayne & Carman Colson, Thomas Jane & Diane Lane, are there looking to buy a new house.
With Blackbird obsessed to tie up all the loose ends in his latest failed robbery he's now determined to find and kill both Wayne & Carman before they, if in fact they want to, identify him to the police in knocking off the real estate agency.****SPOILERS*** The film really goes straight downhill from there on with an unhinged Blackbird murdering a number of people including a fellow Native/American as well as him high on drugs and beer drinking partner Richie Nix for really no reason at all just in order to keep in shape or on target.
The film is inspired by a novel from Elmore Leonard (of 'Get Shorty' and'Jackie Brown' fame) and as one would expect from Leonard, the plot quickly thickens as the hit-man and thug find themselves needing to track down a couple experiencing marital problems since they saw their faces during a job gone wrong.
The brisk one and a half hour runtime also leaves limited room for character development and if there is one thing to hold against the film, it is the difficulty of working out who to root for: the targeted innocent couple on the run or the flawed yet principled hit-man played by Mickey Rourke.
I am usually not much of a fan of Mickey Rourke, and what made me watch this movie was Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Thomas Jane.
Not only was it a good story, but Mickey Rourke did a very good job in "Killshot".The story is about Carmen (played by Diane Lane) and Wayne (played by Thomas Jane) who witness a blackmail hold up by Blackbird (played by Mickey Rourke) and Richie (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) gone horribly wrong.
Going away in a witness protection program, Carmen and Wayne believe they are safe, but professional hit-man Blackbird leaves no loose ends.This story is fast paced and grabs the audience from the very beginning and the movie is really helped along by great acting performances and memorable characters; particularly Blackbird and Richie.
However, they witness an attempted armed robbery by partners in crime (Mickey Rourke and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and subsequently hunted down by the pair in order to 'silence' them - permanently.What follows in an hour and a half of cat and mouse antics and the criminals use all their resources to track the couple down, in order to eliminate them.
The cast is uneven as well: the leading figures Thomas Jane as Wayne Colson and Diane Lane as Carmen Colson were uninviting to me (probably due to non-captivating characters rather than mediocre acting), but the bad guys, however - Mickey Rourke as Armand "The Blackbird" Degas and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Richie Nix - performed in gifted manner (well, they have always shown wide versatility in acting).
After Blackbird's brother dies, he takes the young, twisted, trigger-happy Richie Nix (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) - who likes to pontificate on hair and hair conditioner - as a bro replacement.When Richie decides to shakedown a real estate broker for $10,000, Blackbird joins the wild child and accompanies him to the Realtor's office.
After a short show-down Blackbird decides not to kill the boy, but to take the youth under his guidance, due to the fact that he reminds him of his younger brother, who got killed during a job.Their lives intertwine with Carmen (Diane Lane) and Wayne (Thomas Jane), a marriage in separation.
Luckily for them the FBI is 5 times dumber than they are.The saving grace of the movie is Mickey Rourke and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Everyone know Mickey Rourke is a class act, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt has gone a long way from the Third Rock from the Sun and currently should be treated of one of the best young actors in Hollywood.
When Mickey Rourke plays the cold blooded assassin named Blackbird in the first few minutes of the movie, it was actually quite entertaining.
This only gets him into more trouble and soon they have to kill more people to cover their tracks, namely Wayne (Thomas Jane) and Carmen (Diane Lane), who are going through a rough marriage.Apparently the book works well.
Dismayingly mediocre crime/chase flick, with your average married couple Diane Lane and Thomas Jane on the run from hit-man Mickey Rourke and psycho partner Joseph Levitt over a witnessed incident.
Rourke as the ice-cold contract killer is good....Diane Lane is just OK..The real treat for me was Joseph Gordon-Levitt and that too strictly in terms of acting.
Mickey Rourke hunts Diane Lane in Elmore Leonard's Killshot.
It was based on a book by Elmore Leonard.The film stars Mickey Rourke (Blackbird) as a hired mob assassin who makes a mistake and his hunted by his employer.
It seems Blackbird has a thing about people seeing him work and he decides that Wayne and Carmen need to die.The rest of the film deals with Blackbird and Richie trying to kill the Colsons.I really wasn't expecting much but the plot kept me interested.
Diane Lane and Mickey Rourke are both fantastic as always, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson, and Thomas Jane are also fantastic.
The story follows hit-man Armand "The Blackbird" Degas (Mickey Rourke.) One day, he gets robbed by Richie Nix (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), only to have Richie join him.
One day a couple named Carmen and Wayne Colson (Diane Lane and Thomas Jane.) They get sent to the witness protection program.
Killshot got some good action sequences though not like Die Hard or Lethal Weapon.Most of the scenes involve direct gun shots.Killshot is a story of two killers one professional,experienced hit-man and other more a psychotic type,who terrorize a couple involved in a real estate business after they refuse to pay their demand.The story is simple,acting is up to mark especially from the sides of Diane Lane(unfaithful) and Mickey Rourge(The wrestler).What differentiates Killshot from other numerous action movies is instead of showing frequent nonsense action &voilence,it gathered up as a story,defining the characters well & establishing the relationship between them..
Now, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is a good looking actor, but he played his character a little unnatural.
The ensuing struggle will test Carmen to the limit.....Always curious about this movie because of all the push backs, Killshot has to be one of the most irritating, pretentious movies I've seen in a long while.Rourke spends the movie pouting and giving rationale or his doing, Levitt is just too over the top in a way even David Lynch would cringe at, and Rosario Dawson is totally wasted.Lane and Jane are okay, but they are he most boring couple I've ever seen on celluloid.The film meanders from scene to scene to scene, and one cannot believe that a prolific director like Madden could make something so redundant.It tries to be offbeat, tries to be something a little out there, even mystical, but the film is a complete shambles from beginning to end.Highly avoidable..
Armand and Richie go there to extort some money but married couple Diane Lane as Carmen Colson and Thomas Jane as Wayne Colson happen to be there.
The only redeeming character and performance in this film is that given by Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the deranged mini killer who wants to team up with Rourke's hit-man.
A married couple who's not on good terms right now Wayne and Carmen Colson (Thomas Jane and Diane Lane) have seen Blackbird's ugly mug and now he has to kill them.
An Indian hit-man named Blackbird(Mickey Rourke)is held up by a barely stable loose cannon loser named Richie Nix(Joseph Gordon-Levitt)and the two forge an unlikely partnership, planning to rob a real estate broker, when it goes awry, running afoul of an estranged married couple, ironworker Wayne(Thomas Jane) and his elegant real estate agent wife Carmen(Diane Lane).
Still when you have Rourke, Gordon-Levitt, Lane, and Jane in your cast, such a film will garner interest.