Killshot (film)
Encyclopedia
Killshot is a 2009 thriller film based on the 1989 novel of the same name
by Elmore Leonard
. The film is directed by John Madden
and stars Diane Lane
and Thomas Jane
as a couple who, despite being in a witness protection program, are confronted by the criminal they outed, portrayed by Mickey Rourke
.
) is hired to assassinate a mafia leader (Hal Holbrook
), whom he calls "Papa". Afterwards, he meets Richie Nix (Joseph Gordon-Levitt
) at a bar, where they decide to team up. Meanwhile, Wayne and Carmen Colson (Thomas Jane
and Diane Lane
) 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 then leads them out to his truck pretending to get the 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 track down a man Blackbird saw with Wayne earlier in the film and ask him questions about him before they kill him out in the marshes. They stay the night at the house of Nix's girlfriend Donna (Rosario Dawson
). 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. Richie sprays Carmen with buck lure then tells her she will feel better if she goes to the bathroom, takes off her clothes, and washes herself off. When she comes out 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 Blackbird loses patience with him. Blackbird shoots Richie 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 at the same time. Wayne and Carmen hug each other outside their house as a pool of blood forms under Blackbird.
of the 1989 novel Killshot
by Elmore Leonard
began development as early as May 1997 under Miramax Films
, which had optioned Leonard's novel. By September 2004, the adaptation entered active development, with director John Madden
expressing interest in helming. By January 2005, The Weinstein Company
hired Madden to direct the film based on a script by Hossein Amini
. The following August, actors Diane Lane
, Thomas Jane
, and Mickey Rourke
were cast in the lead roles. In September, actors Rosario Dawson
, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
, and Johnny Knoxville
were cast. Actress Sandra Bullock
was originally considered for the role taken by Lane, while John Travolta
, Viggo Mortensen
, and Justin Timberlake
were originally reported to have been up for the roles taken by Rourke, Jane, and Gordon-Levitt respectively. Principal photography
began in October 2005 in Toronto
. Filming also took place in Cape Girardeau along the Mississippi River
. Production concluded by December 2006.
By July 2006, Killshot was being screened
to test audiences who had previously enjoyed Traffic
and Collateral
. Test screening
s showed that audiences found the plot too confusing and that the story was not tightened enough. As a result, scenes involving Cape Girardeau and a subplot
involving Johnny Knoxville
's role as a deputy were edited from the film.
The film received mixed reviews, posting a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
.
Killshot
Killshot, the 1989 novel by author Elmore Leonard, tells the story of a married couple who find themselves in Cape Girardeau, Missouri while on the run from a pair of hitmen.-Plot summary:...
by Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard
Elmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...
. The film is directed by John Madden
John Madden (director)
John Philip Madden is an English director of theatre, film, television, and radio.- Biography :Madden was educated at Clifton College. He was in the same house as friend and fellow director Roger Michell. He began his career in British independent films, and graduated from the University of...
and stars Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
and Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
as a couple who, despite being in a witness protection program, are confronted by the criminal they outed, portrayed by Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
.
Plot
Mafia hitman Blackbird (Mickey RourkeMickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
) is hired to assassinate a mafia leader (Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an American actor. His television roles include Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 TV series Lincoln, Hays Stowe on The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher on Pueblo. He is also known for his role in the 2007 film Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for...
), whom he calls "Papa". Afterwards, he meets Richie Nix (Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films....
) at a bar, where they decide to team up. Meanwhile, Wayne and Carmen Colson (Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
and Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
) 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 then leads them out to his truck pretending to get the 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 track down a man Blackbird saw with Wayne earlier in the film and ask him questions about him before they kill him out in the marshes. They stay the night at the house of Nix's girlfriend Donna (Rosario Dawson
Rosario Dawson
Rosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early...
). 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
Witness protection
Witness protection is protection of a threatened witness or any person involved in the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during and after a trial, usually by police...
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. Richie sprays Carmen with buck lure then tells her she will feel better if she goes to the bathroom, takes off her clothes, and washes herself off. When she comes out 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 Blackbird loses patience with him. Blackbird shoots Richie 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 at the same time. Wayne and Carmen hug each other outside their house as a pool of blood forms under Blackbird.
Cast
- Thomas JaneThomas JaneThomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
as Wayne Colson - Diane LaneDiane LaneDiane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
as Carmen Colson - Mickey RourkeMickey RourkePhilip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
as Armand "The Blackbird" Degas - Joseph Gordon-LevittJoseph Gordon-LevittJoseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films....
as Richie Nix - Rosario DawsonRosario DawsonRosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early...
as Donna - Hal HolbrookHal HolbrookHarold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an American actor. His television roles include Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 TV series Lincoln, Hays Stowe on The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher on Pueblo. He is also known for his role in the 2007 film Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for...
as Papa
Production
The film adaptationFilm adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the 1989 novel Killshot
Killshot
Killshot, the 1989 novel by author Elmore Leonard, tells the story of a married couple who find themselves in Cape Girardeau, Missouri while on the run from a pair of hitmen.-Plot summary:...
by Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard
Elmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...
began development as early as May 1997 under Miramax Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
, which had optioned Leonard's novel. By September 2004, the adaptation entered active development, with director John Madden
John Madden (director)
John Philip Madden is an English director of theatre, film, television, and radio.- Biography :Madden was educated at Clifton College. He was in the same house as friend and fellow director Roger Michell. He began his career in British independent films, and graduated from the University of...
expressing interest in helming. By January 2005, The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
hired Madden to direct the film based on a script by Hossein Amini
Hossein Amini
Hossein Amini is an Iranian screenwriter who has been working since the 1990s. He was nominated numerous awards for the 1997 film The Wings of the Dove, including an Academy Award for Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay....
. The following August, actors Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
, Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane is an American actor known for his roles in the 1999 film Deep Blue Sea, the 2001 TV film 61*, the 2004 film The Punisher and the 2007 Stephen King adaptation The Mist...
, and Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
were cast in the lead roles. In September, actors Rosario Dawson
Rosario Dawson
Rosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early...
, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films....
, and Johnny Knoxville
Johnny Knoxville
Philip John Clapp , better known by his stage name Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, stunt performer, best known for being the co-creator and principal star of the MTV reality series Jackass, with the catchphrase "I'm Johnny Knoxville, and welcome to Jackass."-Early...
were cast. Actress Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...
was originally considered for the role taken by Lane, while John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
, Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
, and Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
were originally reported to have been up for the roles taken by Rourke, Jane, and Gordon-Levitt respectively. Principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
began in October 2005 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Filming also took place in Cape Girardeau along the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Production concluded by December 2006.
By July 2006, Killshot was being screened
Film screening
A film screening is the displaying of a motion picture or film, generally referring to a special showing as part of a film's production and release cycle...
to test audiences who had previously enjoyed Traffic
Traffic (2000 film)
Traffic is a 2000 American crime drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Stephen Gaghan. It explores the illegal drug trade from a number of perspectives: a user, an enforcer, a politician and a trafficker. Their stories are edited together throughout the film, although some of the...
and Collateral
Collateral (film)
Collateral is a 2004 crime thriller film starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. It was directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie. It was Mann's first feature film to be shot mostly with high-definition cameras. Mann had previously used the format for portions of Ali and for his CBS drama...
. Test screening
Test screening
A test screening is a preview screening of a movie or television show before its general release in order to gauge audience reaction. Preview audiences are selected from a cross-section of the population, and are usually asked to complete a questionnaire or provide feedback in some form. Harold...
s showed that audiences found the plot too confusing and that the story was not tightened enough. As a result, scenes involving Cape Girardeau and a subplot
Subplot
A subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
involving Johnny Knoxville
Johnny Knoxville
Philip John Clapp , better known by his stage name Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, stunt performer, best known for being the co-creator and principal star of the MTV reality series Jackass, with the catchphrase "I'm Johnny Knoxville, and welcome to Jackass."-Early...
's role as a deputy were edited from the film.
Release and reception
Killshot was originally slated to be released on March 17, 2006. It then was delayed to October 20, 2006. It was reported on July 19, 2008 that Killshot will be going straight to DVD. In early September 2008, the film was resurrected for November 7, 2008 but then pushed back to January 23, 2009. The film was released on DVD on May 26, 2009.The film received mixed reviews, posting a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.