Sitting Target

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Sitting Target
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North American theatrical release poster
Directed byDouglas Hickox
Screenplay byAlexander Jacobs
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Produced byBarry Kulick
StarringOliver Reed
Jill St. John
Ian McShane
Edward Woodward
Freddie Jones
Frank Finlay
CinematographyEdward Scaife
Edited byJohn Glen
Music byStanley Myers
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
(through MGM-EMI)
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Running time
93 minutes
Template:Pluralize from textUnited Kingdom
Template:Pluralize from textEnglish

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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

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 Pat and the man she has been seeing. Inspector Milton is assigned to apprehend the two escaped convicts.

Cast

Production

The film is based on a novel by Laurence Henderson that was published in 1970. The original novel focused on a duel between the escaped convict Harry Lomart and Sergeant Milton.[3] The Evening Standard called it "a sleep banishing pursuit story."[4]

The movie was made by MGM's British arm, under the auspices of Robert Littman.[5] Douglas Hickox was signed to direct in July 1971.[6] Filming started in September 1971.[7] Due to restrictions about filming in British prisons, the prison sequences were filmed in Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin.[8] 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 Lomart (Oliver Reed).[9][10]

Critical reception

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."[11]

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."[12]

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."[13] 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."[14] Leslie Halliwell said: "Rough, tough action thriller; passes the time for hardened addicts."[15]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Stanley Myers. It was released by Finders Keepers Records (FKR004LP) in 2007.[16]

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Screaming Target Original Oliver Reed Cult Classic WOW | eBay". Archived from the original on 10 June 2015.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sitting Target". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Thriller". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 August 1970. p. 22.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hope, Andrew (3 March 1970). "Henderson, crack shot". Evening Standard. p. 17.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Vagg, Stephen (1 August 2025). "Forgotten Film Moguls: Robert Littman". Filmink. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  6. ^ Beth Brickell in Star Role Murphy, Mary. Los Angeles Times 24 July 1971: a7.
  7. ^ Unding-a-ling Role for Jill St. John Los Angeles Times 5 August 1971: g9.
  8. ^ p. 298 Filmfacts, Volume 15 Division of Cinema of the University of Southern California, 1972
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Winstanley Plays Itself".
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cinematic Depictions of Battersea". 7 May 2013.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sitting Target". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 39 (456): 123. 1 January 1972. Template:ProQuest.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sitting Target". Variety. 266 (2): 6. 23 February 1972. Template:ProQuest.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Film Guide". Sight and Sound. Summer 1972. p. 178.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 844. ISBN 9780992936440.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 924. ISBN 0586088946.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Stanley Myers – The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack To Douglas Hickox's Sitting Target". Discogs. 28 November 2005. Retrieved 7 February 2024.

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