Killshot (2006, released 2008 John Madden)

The title is the worst thing about this adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel, but actually you have to blame him. What a great writer - his plotting is delicious. His film adaptations go back to the fifties (The Tall T, 3:10 to Yuma).

Mickey Rourke is a Zen-like Indian assassin who upsets his boss; then is witnessed by Diane Lane and her estranged husband Thomas Jane, and so pursues them to silence them (there's a suggestion the ex also has Native American roots - he so enjoys being up on the girders on a construction site - he's a very handy husband, particularly good at not being shot). Into this mix comes idiot youthful criminal, well played by Joseph Gordon Levitt. In true Leonard style (think Life of Crime), he and Rourke initially bond (the elder man is reminded of his dead younger brother) then fall apart. It has a real doozy of an ending. With Rosario Dawson, Hal Holbrook, Lois Smith (Lady Bird, The Nice Guys, Hollywoodland).

I'd never heard of it, only became aware because of Diane Lane. It was originally to be released in 2006, went straight to video in 2008 - why?? It's a classy production - Madden made Shakespeare in Love, Caleb Deschanel is a cameraman of quality, screen writer Hossein Amini was responsible for The Two Faces of January, Drive, Wings of the Dove and Shanghai, Mick Audsley an editor of some note.

Good mix of black comedy and thriller. Could have easily ended with a cliché, but chooses not to.

Suburban nightmare

Postscript 30/9/21. Spoke to Mick about this today. He said the Weinsteins hated it and insisted it be totally recut and reshaped, which Madden had to do under contract. Lisa Gunning handled the recut. It obviously didn't help at all as it went straight to video. Mick was flabbergasted at how much the film had changed shape, but reckoned the original cut was much better - though even that was not without problems. 'It didn't go far enough in the direction of film noir,' he said.