DVD REVIEW: THE SHOOT / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: JOHN ADAMS, TOBY POSER / SCREENPLAY: JOHN ADAMS, TOBY POSER / STARRING: SAM RODD, JOHN ADAMS, TOBY POSER, JOHN DIMAGGIO, DOUG SPEARMAN / RELEASE DATE: TBC
Two weathered musicians living the rock and roll lifestyle, Tommy (Adams) and Dougie (Rodd), are busted broke and desperately dreaming of their big break, whilst Tommy’s wife Maddy (Poser) is stuck in her own soulless job as an assistant fashion stylist. The rockers pay for their big album by taking out a loan, but unfortunately from the wrong kind of lender who threatens them to pay by the end of the week. Unable to repay the loan, they plan to rob Maddy’s fashion photo shoot in the desert for a high-end jewellery line. It’s there when it all goes wrong for all of them.
The Shoot appears to be in the vein of a heist thriller in which the robbers prepare for a heist to sort out their own problems only for it to conveniently go wrong and leaves the predicament of what they are going to do about it. The characters of Tommy and Dougie are established early on, with Tommy being the brains of the operation and Dougie being his concerned sidekick. What the film cleverly does, is that as soon the heist goes wrong those roles become reversed; Tommy ends up becoming the troubled and paranoid helper, whilst Dougie becomes more violent and unhinged by the experience.
The film also seems to be a sly undercutting of the fashion industry, showing it in its vacuous and poisonous form. Plus, that whole element wouldn’t look too out of place next to The Devil Wears Prada. Also, the whole thing has a blackly comic attitude to it all that is quite out-there and shocking at times. However, despite how solidly put-together it may all be, it’s not something that is entirely 100% original and it’s not going to change the face of its genre.
Writers John Adams and Toby Poser play both Tommy and Maddy, and it’s quite clear they have a strong chemistry with both acting and writing. Sam Rodd is a dynamic screen presence, and the supporting performances are perfectly adequate and fine. However, the brilliant John DiMaggio (the legendary voice behind Jake, Schnitzel, Bender and Joker) is relegated to little more than a glorified cameo, and it leaves the question as to why they needed him to fill this frankly tiny role.
Overall, while it definitely has its flaws, The Shoot is still perfectly enjoyable entertainment with some dark and absurd moments and some solid performances. It’s fun, if a little bit hollow and forgettable.
Special Features: TBC
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