My Review Of “The Shoot”

John Adams and Toby Poser’s survival thriller “The Shoot” stars John DiMaggio, Keith Allan, Doug Spearman, Toby Poser, John Adams, Elad Ziv, Sam Rodd, Nathaniel Meek, Claire Denis, Marina De Carvalho, Billy Portman, Theo Cohn and follows a fashion shoot in the desert that goes wrong when two hard-up rockers attempt to rob the affair for the purported million in jewelry.

The story is a strong character study that brings out the darkness that comes with desperation as a struggling rocker duo set out to make quick money to pay off debt and record new music. They take advantage of one rocker’s girlfriend’s job as an assistant on a fashion shoot. “The Shoot” mixes some pretty wicked dark humor in perfectly timed dialog from the cast. The characters are strong, well rounded and wonderfully flawed people that are very relatable.

The story arc does have some weak moments in the middle, and toward the end of the film but never to the point that they make the film hard to watch. Mostly artistic choices or overwritten moments dull the exciting momentum that takes off almost from the beginning. Actually only two moments lagged for me personally, a strange slo-mo moment that makes the events that are happening seem a bit hokey as it goes on far too long and toward the end things come to a screeching halt and feel contrived. Other than those small choices made, the story is pretty tight.

The special effects used on “The Shoot” are low impact, practical effects that really sell the scenes that need them. They not only look real but they create the gore and thrilling aspects of the film. When Adams and Poser hit the chilling high energy elements in the film the tone changes to one of intense drama and death without feeling forced. The timing and transition from dark humor and chilling horror are smooth, and affective. “The Shoot” gets pretty much everything write, the story, the effects, the atmosphere all come together wonderfully.

Overall I really enjoyed “The Shoot”. The story was straight forward, layered and entertaining. The acting and direction that Poser and Adams take creates an emotionally charged melodramatic nightmare situation. The special effects, although minimal in the film work well and offer quality moments. The soundtrack flows effortlessly and create a good atmosphere-it isn’t anything new but it is what you want for this type of story. The ending was a bit underwhelming and there are moments that lag but for the most part “The Shoot” is a film worth the watch!