Bullet Points: Shoot

Mysteries can add a lot to a movie. A surprise or twist can give the audience a level of excitement that is not present when all the facts are laid out from jump street. On the other hand, double crosses and subterfuge can muddy a story and make it difficult to root for a character. I recently watched a movie that was filled with chock full of intrigue, 1993’s Shoot or as you might know it King’s Ransom. Was it a mystery for the ages or sloppy schlock? You will have to check out the Bullet Points to discover the answer to this puzzle.

• Gems the Breaks – Shoot opens in San Francisco with King (Miles O’Keeffe, Zero Tolerance) buying a stolen gem from a one eye man who is getting off a small dinghy. The eye patch comes in handy as his eye hole (I guess it is called a socket) is the perfect place to hide the gem from customs. Why the thief decided to get off an international flight and show up to a gem sale on a dinghy is anybody’s guess. The thief clearly didn’t have any foresight because King decides to double cross the seller and King has his man Friday Sebastian (Fred Ottaviano) kill the thief. King walks away with the gem and gets to keep the cash to boot. Speaking of booting, the water entrance for the thief is now his exit as his lifeless corpse is kicked from whence it came.

• Casino Royale – King runs a swanky nightclub in San Francisco which actually doubles as a high-end illegal gambling parlor. This is where we first meet Catherine (Dedee Pfeiffer) an enthusiastic but somewhat spacey photographer who is looking to get a spot at King’s club to take pictures of the patrons and sell them the photos in a cheap key chain. A few things came to my mind when I first saw Shoot, first this was obviously a time before cell phones or digital cameras and second why is Catherine so eager to work at this night club. There has to be more than meets the eye with Catherine, and why is she always talking to the old couple at the bar. An odd introduction to the bartender Spence (Christopher Atkins, Smoke n Lightnin) and there is some real intrigue brewing. 
• Standard Operating Procedures – Catherine is soon approached by a couple of detectives looking to take down King’s illegal casino. Instead of using actual police methods, the detectives talk Catherine into sneaking her way into the casino to take pictures so they can get enough evidence for a warrant. See, it works because Catherine is a photographer and police don’t mind putting civilians in harm’s way. Everything starts turning up police thought as King takes a liking to Catherine and there is romance budding allowing Catherine to enter the secret gambling floor. Sebastian doesn’t trust Catherine and warns King of her possible intentions. King realizes there is rat in his organization, but he has several big time buyers coming in for the gem and is concerned with getting paid.

• Blue Lagoon vs. Ninjas – King has really angered a potential Japanese buyer for the gem because instead of selling the gem to the Japanese buyer there are several other suitors. The Japanese buyer sends in his ninjas to murder King and steal the gem, but Spence happens to save the day in one of the finer action pieces in Shoot. Spence is promoted from lowly bartender to illegal gambling dealer. But how did Spence know about the illegal gambling? More intrigue.
• Who’s Zoomin’ Who? – As Shoot gets down to the nitty gritty the true intentions of everyone start to be exposed. Sebastian is the rat feeding information to the cops? One of the cops is dirty? Spence is a fed? Spence is not a fed? Spence and Catherine know each other? These are just some of the questions they may or may not be answered. There are more double crosses and reveals in the last ten minutes of Shoot that can really be paid attention to and it is a detriment to the film. Luckily the action during the final raid on King’s casino (did I mention the casino is called King’s Ransom just like the alternate title?) is good fun and makes up for any plot weakness.

Shoot is fun little action thriller that tries to be smarter than it should be. When it relies on the likability of Pfeiffer and Atkins and the evil stoicism of O’Keeffe it is a good time. When it tries to become The Usual Suspects it falls right into the water (probably next to the gem thief). With a first time viewing there is more enjoyment without the ending spoiled, and don’t worry everything I have provided is just a fraction of all the twists, but once you know how it plays out the rewatchability factor drops. I still like to go back to Shoot because it is fun and different take on the action thrillers and I can’t blame someone for trying to leave the audience with a fantastic ending… like with these Shoot Bonus Bullet Points.

• Also Known As – Shoot is also known as King’s Ransom but every time I hear that title I think of the Anthony Anderson film that is surely filled with improv.
• Not Quite Pinewood – Shoot was filmed at Universal Studios Florida. And I mean the theme park with all the exterior scenes dotted around the park with some of the scenes clearly showing guests gawking in the background. However the supposed train station that was the former Earthquake ride is the most glaring.
• Potential Spoiler Alert – I didn’t give their full names, but if you hear Catherine and Spence’s surnames there is a hint as to their connection.
• Best Quote – “Boys and girls we got ourselves a king’s ransom.”