“Even the film’s title worked on different levels. The Shoot referring to the fashion photo shoot around where the story revolves, or to the accidental shooting that erupts a simple robbery into the ordeal that would change lives forever.”
by Randy Krinsky
Tommy (John Adams) is an aspiring rock star. His girlfriend Maddie (Toby Poser) works as an assistant on fashion shoots. Tommy owes quite a bit of money to an unforgiving lender (the kind that break legs) and Maddie believes she is about to be fired by her unappreciative boss. Maddie mentions that she should start swiping valuables off set as nobody really cares as all the expensive jewelry used is insured anyway. Inspired by this, Tommy enlists his buddy, Dougie (Sam Rodd), to help him rob the photo shoot while in a remote desert location. When an accidental gunfight erupts during the robbery attempt, everyone has to rethink their lives and what might happen before the whole ordeal is over.
- The Shoot
- Written & Directed by
John Adams & Toby Poser - Cast
John DiMaggio, Keith Allan, Doug Spearman - Release Date
TBD - Randy’s Grade: B+
First, I have to say that I liked this movie. It’s a great story. Written, directed, produced, and starring John Adams and Toby Poser. In fact, Adams also worked as cinematographer, editor, he scored the film, and probably even cooked for the crew! He wore many hats in this film, not the least of which was his inspired portrayal as Tommy, the rock singer and anti-hero.
The acting was superb and the characters were depicted as likable but flawed, yet totally relatable. Two excellent casting choices included Sam Rodd as Dougie, as well as the incredible John DiMaggio as the loan shark enforcer. Out of all the dark humor in this film, DiMaggio’s demented dialogue had me laughing while still cringing. Sometimes comedic elements in suspense films can detract from the overall mood of the film; that didn’t happen here. The dark humor was spot-on and worked. One other comedic scene of note is when Fabrice (Billy Portman) convinces Adam (Ryan Smith) to urinate in his mouth to ensure they don’t dehydrate to death – Priceless!
The production values were top-notch. The cinematic elements of the film were well attended. The cinematography was excellent. The desert provided a great backdrop for the dread of the characters, as well in depicting their isolation. The effects were appropriate and well done. The original music by Adams worked well, with the background pieces doing their job of building suspense. Even the film’s title worked on different levels. The Shoot referring to the fashion photo shoot around where the story revolves, or to the accidental shooting that erupts a simple robbery into the ordeal that would change lives forever.
The pacing did slow down a bit near the middle and seemed to drag on but picked up near the end. That didn’t seem to detract from the overall aesthetic of the film. The ending seemed to resolve the film quite nicely (until you realized that a few of the character’s fates were left unknown). On the whole, The Shoot was a great film and an enjoyable character study. Highly recommended!
