THE SHOOTER / HIDDEN ASSASSIN (Ted Kotcheff, 1995)

[Jox]

The cover and article below are from two different magazines:

[Tom]

The version on Amazon Prime in the UK is the long one and 1080p. It's not the best transfer but a lot better than the German Blu. Basically, it's the best looking version I've seen of it. Once again, after watching it, it stands as one of Dolph's most undervalued films for me. A very solid Euro thriller. It feels vintage, like 60's/70's, in a good way, and it might be the only Lundgren film to have an interesting female character.

[Jox]

Cool, I wish I could get access to an HD version of the long version...

The film definitely benefited from the years passing.

When it came out late 1995-96 it felt really outdated compared to what was in cinemas then, and not as "deep" as it wanted to be. I remember the French reviews were some of the worst for a DL film, the film had a small theatrical release and was trashed everywhere (unlike MOW which was raved a year before).

But the free-falling quality of the DTV / low-budget action titles in the past 10-15 years also now makes THE SHOOTER pass for quite a good one.

Based on my interviews, it was very much in the intentions of the filmmakers to make THE SHOOTER in the vein of the 1960s and '70s thrillers or John Le Carré's novels.

I wish I could get my hands on the original script by Yves André Martin and Meg Thay that was set in Paris, before the last minute production rewrite by Billy Ray. I bet it was quite different even...

[alex.sp89]

here u go Jox ! Enjoy - I DON'T KNOW IF U UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE, BUT STILL CAN COMPARE THE VIDEO QUALITY
https://www.pikniktube.net/video/10232/ ... a-hd-720p/

or direct youtube link but nee to sign in confirming your age

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fJsBqk ... &index=580

[Jox]

That seems like a "compressed by Youtube" rip of a 720p version that aired on Hungarian TV, you can't compare anything from that.

[alex.sp89]

Anyway at first looking this is the greatest transfer of longer version of SHOOTER. I am pretty sure

[bomaz]

I watched it again last night (the long version) and despite some flaws here and there (the music is not always great, Dolph is not always at his best as an actor ...) the movie stands out as a solid thriller, with solids stunts and pace. Detmers is a talented actress, and the Prague settings are charming (even the "soviet" outskirts shown here and there). Good movie overall.

[Jox]

Dolph is not always at his best as an actor ...)

I partly blame the hair cut (and the wardrobe), which does not work here. But more seriously, I'm pretty sure he worked quite hard on this one.

This was following MEN OF WAR and JOHNNY MNEMONIC, in the two years (1994-95) he was doing theater workshops and performing one-act plays in NYC with his troupe "Group of Eight" (see the "WATCHING FIRE" thread) and he was determined (not that he wasn't before) on working on his craft as an actor.

And everybody else, from director Ted Kotcheff to producer Silvio Muraglia (who would next pair him with Russell Mulcahy on SILENT TRIGGER), all wanted to make a character-driven thriller that would elevate Dolph above his usual action vehicles (it's not by chance that they cast "serious" European actresses such as Maruschka Detmers and Assumpta Serna to support him). The intentions were there. Same with the creative choice to attempt a '70s musical score, while composer Stefano Mainetti would make a much better impression with his drastically different SILENT TRIGGER soundtrack...

And yet somehow the cooking just didn't take, sadly...

By the time it came out between late 1995 and 1996, the timing was also way off and years too late for the genre and its approach. And it closed the theatrical era of Dolph Lundgren films in Europe (minus ST in Italy).

[Jox]

THE SHOOTER world-premiered in UK cinemas 25 years ago today (in its long version)...

[Scorpio]

The version of "The Shooter" that contains this edition, is it the cut edition (88 minutes) or is it the full version (104 minutes)?

https://www.ebay.es/itm/BLU-RAY-NEU-OVP ... Swvg9XT-~j

[Jox]

That's a good question, I assume it would be the 104 min version but that is to be confirmed, plus the back cover, if correct, lists German only as a language. Also to be considered, the quality, if this is the same version as the one released as a single movie... But if you check it out please let us know!

[Jox]

[Jox]

Happy belated 90th birthday to Ted Kotcheff who was born on April 7, 1931

[Jox]

The last DL title to receive a somewhat "major" theatrical release in Europe came out 25 years ago today in France.



The film was promoted with a July 10 release date but was pushed back one week at the very last minute because the calendar was saturated with too many movies coming out on the same week.



I only had time to go see it once on opening day.

Unlike in other European countries, it was the shortened version and I didn't know there were two cuts at the time, which I found out once I bought a UK VHS import in 1997...

[Jox]

R.I.P. Gavan O'Herlihy (WILLOW, DEATH WISH 3, SUPERMAN III, "HAPPY DAYS")
https://www.irishecho.com/2021/11/death ... n-o-herlhy



Bronson scholar Paul Talbot:

"As the Bronsontennial month continues, I’m sad to report the news that Gavan O’Herlihy passed away on October 14. He was beloved by Bronson fans for his unforgettable performance as psychotic gang leader “Fraker” in the action-comic masterpiece DEATH WISH 3. He was the son of legendary, Oscar-nominated character actor Dan O’Herlihy (who is probably best-known today for playing the villain in HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH). Gavan O’Herlihy first met Bronson in 1964 when he visited the set of THE TRAVELS OF JAMIE McPHEETERS, a Western TV series that starred his father and Bronson. Gavan O’Herlihy studied theater at Trinity College in Ireland and was a tennis champion when he lived in that country. After he moved back to Hollywood, he was in many TV shows of the 1970s including THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN and the miniseries RICH MAN POOR MAN. He played Richie Cunningham’s older brother on some early episodes of HAPPY DAYS. O’Herlihy was in SUPERMAN 3, where he played a rival of Clark Kent. In the James Bond movie NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN, he played an operative of SPECTRE. Shortly before DEATH WISH 3, O’Herlihy played a member of Lee Marvin’s team in the TV movie THE DIRTY DOZEN: NEXT MISSION, which was a sequel to an early Bronson hit. After DEATH WISH 3, O’Herlihy played a sadistic villain in the Western TV miniseries LONESOME DOVE. In the 1990s, he moved to the United Kingdom. O’Herlihy played a heroic role in the movie WILLOW and was in many British TV movies and episodes. In his final years he acted in British theater and TV. (Thanks to longtime Bronson brother Aaron Morgan for informing me of the sad news.)"