Sitting Target
| Sitting Target | |
|---|---|
 North American theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Douglas Hickox |
| Screenplay by | Alexander Jacobs |
| Based on | Sitting Target 1970 novel by Laurence Henderson |
| Produced by | Barry Kulick |
| Starring | Oliver Reed Jill St. John Ian McShane Edward Woodward Freddie Jones Frank Finlay |
| Cinematography | Edward Scaife |
| Edited by | John Glen |
| Music by | Stanley Myers |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (through MGM-EMI) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Sitting Target (also known as Screaming Target [1]) is a 1972 British crime film directed by Douglas Hickox and starring Oliver Reed, Ian McShane and Jill St. John.[2] It was based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Laurence Henderson.
Plot
[edit]Harry Lomart, a convicted murderer, and Birdy Williams are convicts planning a breakout. Before the two men can abscond to another country, Lomart gets word that his wife Pat has been having an affair with another man and has become pregnant.
The two men had made plans to lie low after their escape from jail, but Lomart decides to find and kill his wife and the man she has been seeing. Inspector Milton is assigned to apprehend the two escaped convicts.
Cast
[edit]- Oliver Reed as Harry Lomart
- Jill St. John as Pat Lomart
- Ian McShane as Birdy Williams
- Edward Woodward as Inspector Milton
- Frank Finlay as Marty Gold
- Freddie Jones as MacNeil
- Jill Townsend as Maureen
- Robert Beatty as Gun dealer
- Tony Beckley as Soapy Tucker
- Mike Pratt as Prison warder's accomplice
- Robert Russell as First prison warder
- Joe Cahill as Second prison warder
- Robert Ramsey as Gun dealer's bodyguard
- June Brown as Lomart's neighbour
Original novel
[edit]The film is based on a novel by Laurence Henderson that was published in 1970. The Evening Standard called it "a sleep banushing pursuit story."[3] The original novel focused on a duel between the escaped convict and Sergeant Milton.[4]
Production
[edit]Douglas Hickox was signed to direct in July 1971.[5] Filming started in September 1971.[6]
Due to restrictions about filming in British prisons, the prison sequences were filmed in Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin.[7] The Winstanley and York Road Estates in Battersea feature prominently throughout the film as the setting for many of the action sequences of the main protagonist.[8][9]
Critical reception
[edit]The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Another glib and glossy thriller along the lines of Get Carter [1971] and Villain [1971], considerably shallower and more stereotyped than either as it grinds nastily and rather artily (Douglas Hickox reveals a disconcerting passion for overhead shots) through a busy schedule of pain, mutilation and death. With its absurdly contrived plot and strictly one-dimensional characters (Oliver Reed doing his broody bit, Ian McShane doing his cheery bit, and no one else getting a look in), it has absolutely nothing to offer except its gleeful, plentiful and largely unmotivated violence."[10]
Variety wrote: "The screenplay by Alexander Jacobs sometimes is difficult to follow, but Douglas Hickox's tense direction keeps movement at top speed. ... Reed's portrayal is topflight, Perhaps the more outstanding performance, however, is presented by Ian MacShane, as Reed's sidekick. ... Music by Stanley Myers captures the proper mood."[11]
Sight and Sound called it a "sluggish, thuggish thriller, remarkable only for the number of violent deaths it manages to cram in, and the amount of footage it expends on Oliver Reed brooding explosively."[12]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "A splendid supporting cast of TV familiars and peculiars make this a juicy and none too subtle excursion into the underworld."[13]
Leslie Halliwell said: "Rough, tough action thriller; passes the time for hardened addicts."[14]
Soundtrack
[edit]The soundtrack was composed by Stanley Myers. It was released by Finders Keepers Records (FKR004LP) in 2007.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ "Screaming Target Original Oliver Reed Cult Classic WOW | eBay". Archived from the original on 10 June 2015.
- ^ "Sitting Target". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Hope, Andrew (3 March 1970). "Henderson, crack shot". Evening Standard. p. 17.
- ^ "Thriller". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 August 1970. p. 22.
- ^ Beth Brickell in Star Role Murphy, Mary. Los Angeles Times 24 July 1971: a7.
- ^ Unding-a-ling Role for Jill St. John Los Angeles Times 5 August 1971: g9.
- ^ p. 298 Filmfacts, Volume 15 Division of Cinema of the University of Southern California, 1972
- ^ "The Winstanley Plays Itself".
- ^ "Cinematic Depictions of Battersea". 7 May 2013.
- ^ "Sitting Target". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 39 (456): 123. 1 January 1972 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Sitting Target". Variety. 266 (2): 6. 23 February 1972 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Film Guide". Sight and Sound. Summer 1972. p. 178.
- ^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 844. ISBN 9780992936440.
- ^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 924. ISBN 0586088946.
- ^ "Stanley Myers – The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack To Douglas Hickox's Sitting Target". Discogs. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
External links
[edit]- 1972 films
- 1972 crime drama films
- 1970s crime thriller films
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
- British crime thriller films
- British films about revenge
- Films based on British novels
- Films directed by Douglas Hickox
- Films scored by Stanley Myers
- Films shot in London
- British drama films
- 1970s English-language films
- 1970s British films
- English-language crime drama films
- English-language crime thriller films