‘Dead Shot’ Review – A Focused, Fun Action Thriller

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Dead Shot feels like just another action thriller, for the most part. On paper, it’s been done before, and plenty of times; vengeful conflict facilitated by sputtering masculinity and unexpected gunfire and explosions. In regards to all those things, it’s par for the course. Mark Strong and Felicity Jones stand out among a solid cast of realistic, if not stale characters.

All their interactions depend on their mostly unseen pasts, making it occasionally hard to get invested, but at the same time, the film deserves respect for committing to its ongoing dispute and not trying to over-explain it, because none of these characters have time to. If you stop trying to figure it out and keep your eyes glued straight forward, you may find yourself genuinely taken by it.

Where the film manages to separate itself most is in its use of love to tangle the whole thing up in a big, confusing ball of emotion and duty. Love is why our protagonists (used very loosely in the context of this movie) live, and that’s a huge reason why, despite being thrown into this story, we can connect to them. Dead Shot roots its identity in this concept, and it deserves a tip of the hat for that alone.

Something that drives that idea further, even if it isn’t on purpose, is the way the film handles action sequences. They’re all very grounded, unmoving, and arguably a little lifeless. In one way, this hurts the film. It’s trying to be an action movie after all, at least in part, and that aspect falling flat is an inarguable mistake. But in another, the lack of flare in executing the violence highlights the thematic distaste for it at hand.

Even though their pasts aren’t detailed, our characters have clearly been put in a place where violence is necessary. It’s all so unfortunate, and the film doesn’t shy away from that. It opens with a hint of happiness, then tragedy, then settles into a depressive drought of bad luck and consequence. The ending is a culmination of this pattern, managing to be unexpected yet fits perfectly.

Again, none of Dead Shot is new, but that’s okay. The film accepts that self-imposed ceiling and commits to a vision. Simple, gritty storytelling spotlighting good filmmaking and talented performers. It pays off as much as it could have.

The score’s constant pounding synths, building with the narrative, underscore the film with a layer of potent tension throughout; when the film stalls (it does on occasion), and perhaps starts to lose you, the score promises more to come. A score being a standout part of a film is certainly rare, but that isn’t a bad thing. It’s just another tick in the positive for Dead Shot.

Really, it’s hard to go wrong with this one if you go in with proper expectations. Don’t expect anything game changing from Dead Shot, by any means. The film is a lean, often mean exercise in a genre that has seen much worse this year alone. It’s directed (courtesy of Charles & Thomas Guard) with a subtle anger. The feeling is tangible as it builds until it eventually explodes in a memorable final act, one that takes the film from fine to fulfilling, and well worth your time.

People spit, snarl, and outright ignore travesties until the blood splatters in their eyes, to which they turn around with vengeance rather than sorrow. For a compact, militant action thriller like this one, that’s all you can really ask for. At only 87 minutes, too, you could catch this one in between a class or before a shift. Give it a shot (pun-intended).

Dead Shot is currently playing in select theaters, and it is available on Digital and On Demand courtesy of Quiver Distribution. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdHA-nZS5Cw]