Shoot to Kill (1988) All Action FBI Agent Sidney Poitier Goes Wild In The Woods

He stood talking in the mirror whilst pushing a few wrinkles on his head “They’re not bad at all? Shiiiiiit I’m a 60 year old man. I still got it“. Pondering back over the last ten years out of the game. Deep down he’d missed it. Forsure we all missed him. “It’s all action guys now. Beefcake whippersnappers! That Rambo guy, Sly Stallone and that Austrian giant! Arnie something. He took on an alien in the jungle ffs!. Shiiiiit man things have surely changed since I’ve been gone?”

“You know what though? I’m back. The book is finished and I’m ready to show that this old man is as tough as the rest of them. YEAH They’ll see. I can go all First Blood, Commando on their arse.” “YEP I’ll show them” He takes a step back. Full frame in the mirror. A little jog on the spot. He psyches himself up. Now shadow boxing and staring himself out. “That’s it SP you can do! Come on! Who are you? Shout it out“. More punches to the air, he smiles and starts to chant. “SIDNEY POITIER SIDNEY POITIER SIDNEY POITIER” “I’m back baby!“. The world sighed a breath of relief, all was well in the universe once again.

Sidney Poitier and director Roger Spottiswoode on set

Sidney Poitier had decided to take some time off to write his autobiography. He’d had the most wonderful career. “When I stepped away to write the book I couldn’t imagine myself wanting more. I had had infinitely more than my share“. Then a script lands in his hands with the part written especially for him. It was a role he hadn’t really played before. A big budget action role. Sidney was going to be giving Rambo and the like a run for their money.

That’s right, an all action movie from a 60 year old Sidney Poitier strutting his FBI agent stuff on the screen. He races down dark alleys, jumps over car bonnets, dangles over cliff edges, fires off his pistol like Dirty Harry and even finds time to freak out a grizzly! Sidney plays hard boiled FBI agent Warren Stantin. He’d been dishing out justice to hundreds of lowlives, murders and criminals throughout the city all his career. Just when he thinks it can’t get any worse, a kidnapping case involving thousands of dollars of diamonds begins. He follows the book then tries to improvise. This cunning criminal knows all the moves. He’s deadly, unpredictable, ruthless and extremely dangerous. What’s more they can’t figure any trace on him. He completely anonymous and on the run.

Desperate to get his man, Warren Stantin is straight on the scene when a call comes from the state lines near the Canadian border. The MO fits the criminal’s characteristics. He seems to have infiltrated a fishing party lead by Sarah Rennell (Kirstie Alley). The group is trekking deep into the wilderness.  A wilderness ready to kill anyone dumb enough to wandering in without the survival skills and knowledge.

Tagline – A ruthless killer. A beautiful hostage. Two men follow them into the mountains. One for love. One for revenge.

Warren needs a tracker. Step forward Jonathan Knox (Tom Berenger). Unfortunately this tracker is the boyfriend of Sarah and desperate to make up time. The last thing he needs is some old city dwelling lacky to hold him up, let alone die out there. For however much he’s tries there’s no way he can shake off the determined FBI agent. So off they go to track down this murdering bastard through whatever dangerous terrain is thrown at them.  Cue some comic moments before it gets back on the hardcore tracking down again.

Tagline – Into a place no one has ever been, two men will track a killer no one has ever seen.

The beginning is truly frantic as the suspense is ramped up to ten right from the get go. Then the pace and tone takes a shift into some much needed comic light relief as the twosome battle it together. Tom Berenger is all fired up with his Rambo style bandana wrapped around his head. He stays focused and tough in his domain of the wilderness. Whereas Sidney gets to lighten his action packed beginning as he fights to stay tough in the alien, to him, terrain. Getting to drop a few comical “Oooh, shit!” along the way. He does look like he had fun and the incident with an grizzly is bond to make you smile. Then when he’s back in his element of the city, it’s all Mister Tibbs channelling Harry Callahan whilst doing dives and jumps over cars and blasting his revolver.

Jonathan Knox – “I’ve never seen a grizzly just turn and run like that.”
Warren Stantin – “Everybody else up here acts like they’ve never seen a black man before. Why should the bear be different?”

What’s brilliant about this film is the way it shows it’s killer. Well it doesn’t for half the film. I won’t mention his name but unfortunately just seeing it in the beginning credits you will obviously know who it is. A neat thing the writers and director Roger Spottiswoode do is cast a few well known actors known for playing bad guys. Everyone on the fishing trip look intently dodgy as they trek through the forest. I can well imagine a lot of people would of been fooled. Even knowing the killer before the big reveal its still a pretty shocking scene and packs quite a punch.

Yep I know! How could I have missed this one until now? It’s got Sidney Poitier in it? I knew of it and even thought I’d probably seen it. Now I’m just so happy to have stumbled across it and have the pleasure to tick off yet another Sidney off his wonderful filmography list.

Well worth tracking down if you fancy seeing a pretty tight 80s buddy action thriller. Though I would assume many have already seen it? Let me know if you wish.

Keep it filmy…. Mikey Wolf

Known in the UK as Deadly Pursuit. I read it was changed because of the horrible mass shooting which had recently happen.