Shotgun (1989)

Absolutely Brilliant!

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Crapendary! Early PM action movie that is so trademark eighties it's almost like a sequence from the Regular Show. Crappy hair-metal soundtrack! Crappy neon lighting! Really crappy acting! Lovable ridiculous story that scratches your bad movie itch. This cost me sixteen pence!Two cops are out to track down some burly bondage guy who's all into smacking hookers about until they can't hook no more for a while. This guy gets this other guy to hook him up, and lo and behold the two of them are embroiled in some shady drugs operation in Mexico too that has little to do with what goes on in the film until the big showdown with the modified kick-arse jeep! Flamethrower-iffic!Either Ian or Max (I can't remember who was who, or even if that was their names) has a sister who is on the game and therefore she's the one the big bondage guy goes too far with (for some reason he adopts a German accent when doing so, even though he's not German…go figure). So Ian or Max are out to get this guy, or the other guy, and get the other guy who gets off the hook by the other other bondage guy, who it turns out is a high flying lawyer. Yep.Crestfallen, the two cops take out their frustrations by shooting a guy about a million times. I almost forgot to mention the internal affairs guy who is out to get them sacked. More brain-damaging stuff happens (like one of them becoming a bounty hunter) before the big explosion packed finale, and awesome freeze frame ending that doth tickle me so.This ain't wall to wall insane hilarity, but bad movie fans should get a kick out of this. Shotgun! Shotgun Jones!

Shotgun follows the story of Rivington, an evil British defence lawyer who spends his spare time beating up ladies of the night. Along the way he kills one, who's brother happens to be Ian Jones, a tough a LA cop who has a habit for doing things his own way. After losing his badge and his partner Max is shot, Ian has to resort to unconventional manners to hit Rivington hard, at his drug compound in Mexico.Famed for an exceptional performance from the legendary Rif Hutton as Max Bilings, Shotgun' is a textbook example of how to create a virtually seamless action/thriller. Director Addison Randall at one point thought this low-budget movie would never be made as he was forced to work with a very small budget, a short shooting schedule and a studio that was only interested in releasing any many films as possible. However, Shotgun was made and nowadays is accepted as one of the finest action/thrillers of all time despite not receiving the praise it so greatly deserved back in the late 80's. Shotgun was brilliantly written as well as directed by Addison Randall who chose to add very subtle clues as to what would happen that are made more apparent on further viewings. With the added advantage of obvious research into the seedy areas of LA, Shotgun sought to portray the movie is left with a chilling feel of realism.An enchanting soundtrack is blended marvellously into Shotgun which seems to lull the viewer into a false sense of security. Despite the constant foreboding feeling created by the intricate plot and top notch acting, there is a certain playful feeling that is brought about by the elegant soundtrack making it difficult to actually envisage any evil events occurring. One could be forgiven for wondering on a first viewing just where this bizarre little movie is going but the story has a quality about it that can grab the viewer and keep their interest all the way to the double barrelled vengeance served at the end. Rivington in the bondage gear is an image that is now engrained on my mind with all its emptiness and despair. As the curtain falls on this performance (so to speak) it becomes hard not to question the events leading up to the attacks. In some ways Shotgun is an unsettling history lesson that makes itself seem all too real.Stuart Chapin gives a tremendous performance as the Detective Ian Jones, a man with a dirty job that somebody has to do and an abusive and power hungry captain. He played his character convincingly and Ian's eventual realisation of what is going on around him is portrayed so well that it adds more realism to the movie. Chapin was able to take a character that may be a figure of loathing in another type of thriller movie (the brother of a hooker) and make the audience feel empathy towards him. However, as mentioned before, Rif Hutton somehow stole the show playing the relatively small part of Max Bilings. His magnificent on screen presence seems so powerful that one forgets that he is only in the movie for a short amount of time. Added to this great mix was Katie Caple as Tanya Jones, Ian's beautiful hooker sister. Her getting undressed was one of the most erotic moments in a thriller and helped to contribute further realism to the movie. The scenes featuring the clashing characters of Ian and Tanya are both amusing and tense making for some interesting character interaction.Shotgun is undoubtedly a cult classic of the action/thriller genre which I recommend to all fans of action/thrillers. Visually pleasing with some superb acting and direction as well as a fine screenplay. My rating for Shotgun = 10/10

When it comes to shotgun, there simply aren't enough words meaning 'terrific' 'incredible' or 'simply stunning' to describe only half this films greatness in the way that it deserves. It was almost solely due to ed_rules8, a fellow reviewer, that i came across this timeless classic. This film surpasses The Empire Strikes Back, Godfather part 2 and Rage as the best film ever created. You can tell that director Addison Randall had slaved over the screenplay and casting for months and years to get it bang on perfect. He stayed up all night to form classic lines like ' 'You're a dead man Jones' 'Who the f*** is this' ' and 'Jones, my office, now.' Not only is the script awesome, but the action and the music take my breath away every time. The guitar wailing and DJ are truly music greats and this film uses them to maximum use time and time again which enhances the impact the film made on me. There is an excellent chase between Ian 'King of the World' Jones and Rocker, in which you can tell that Jones must be an agile athlete, or when he falls into some boxes in the road, or the scene involving the classic JetCopter. Stuart Chapin plays Shotgun Jones with great empathy, he truly understands his characters wants and feelings, and the acting can only be heightened by Rif Huttons thoughtfully portrayed Max Billings. However the true credit goes to Fletcher Rivington and Broadway Joey. Fletcher pumps a lot of iron and is one of the most brilliant defence lawyers in the country, and joey is wasted with a bullet 'between the eyes.' Enough about the acting however, the true majesty is in the story. Rivington, as well as being the upstanding lawyer, who works with great tycoons like Caparlo, he is also a sado-masochistic psychopath who gets rocker to score with a chick, who he then shows the sharp side of his whip. He kicks out their spleens and gives them hairline fractures of the jaw without a second of hesitation. A great movie villain. However, soon none of the girls will have any, word gets out and the pimps wont deal, they cant afford the damage. So Rivington goes after a so called upstanding citizen. Part time hooker, all time Shotgun Jones' sister! Needless to say between the drugs and the beating there was too much internal damage. He had killed the only blood relative Jones had! After this, and after getting suspended from his work, Jones becomes a skip tracer. And after Rocker jumps bail, he wants it. He tracks Fletcher's hive of scum and villainy down to Mexico, where, with the help of his desert hermit friends, he creams everyone, and in a nail biting finale, he opens Rivington's chest. Wow.After reading that you must be salivating over the sheer idea of such a film, let alone seeing it. The only way to describe how good this is, is if the mighty hand of God blessed Randall's during hand during his time of writing. This deserves far more than ten stars.Hope you have found this helpful! Laters

For a time, I thought I was the only person in the world to see this sorry excuse for a movie, catching it during late-night TV. Sometimes this movie is so bad, it's hilarious. But mostly it is INCREDIBLY AWFUL. And I don't mean just everyday AWFUL - I'm talking about ****AWFUL****! The actor who plays the character who gets the creative nickname "Shotgun" is perhaps the WORST ACTOR IN THE WORLD! Really! I'm not kidding.Maybe you should see this movie anyway, because anything you'll see afterwards will look even better!P.S. - This production company (formerly City Lights, now PM Entertainment) did improve over time, and now PM generally makes decent and slick B movies that deliver the goods. The general rule, however, is to avoid ALL their movies made before 1993!