''Sitting Target'' (also known as ''Screaming Target'' ) is a 1972 British

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by Douglas Hickox and starring

Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor, known for his upper-middle class, macho image and his heavy-drinking, "hellraiser" lifestyle. His screen career spanned over 40 years, between 1955 and 1999. At the ...

Ian McShane Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor. His television performances include the title role in the BBC series ''Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in '' Deadwood'' (2004–2006) and its 2019 film continuation, and M ...

and Jill St. John. 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 his wife and the man she has been seeing. Inspector Milton is assigned to apprehend the two escaped convicts.

Cast

as Harry Lomart * Jill St. John as Pat Lomart *

as Birdy Williams * Edward Woodward as Inspector Milton *

Frank Finlay Francis Finlay, (6 August 1926 – 30 January 2016) was an English actor. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Iago in ''Othello'' (1965). His first leading television role came in 1971 in '' Casanova''.

as Marty Gold *

Freddie Jones Frederick Charles Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005.''; at ancestry.com (12 September 1927 – 9 July 2019) was an English actor who had an extensive career in television, theatre and cinema productions for ...

as MacNeil * Jill Townsend as Maureen *

Robert Beatty Robert Rutherford Beatty (19 October 1909 – 3 March 1992) was a Canadian actor who worked in film, television and radio for most of his career and was especially known in the UK. Early years Beatty was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the son of ...

as Gun dealer * Tony Beckley as Soapy Tucker * Mike Pratt as Prison warder's accomplice * Robert Russell as First prison warder * Joe Cahill as Second prison warder * Robert Ramsey as Gun dealer's bodyguard *

June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the Inside ...

as Lomart's neighbour

Original novel

The film is based on a novel by Laurence Henderson that was published in 1970. The ''Evening Standard'' called it "a sleep banushing pursuit story." The original novel focused on a duel between the escaped convict and Sergeant Milton.

Production

Douglas Hickox was signed to direct in July 1971. Filming started in September 1971. Due to restrictions about filming in British prisons, the prison sequences were filmed in

Kilmainham Gaol Kilmainham Gaol () is a former prison in Kilmainham, Dublin. It is now a museum run by the Office of Public Works, an agency of the Government of Ireland. Many Irish revolutionaries, including the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising (Patrick Pea ...

, Dublin. 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.

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "Another glib and glossy thriller along the lines of ''

Get Carter ''Get Carter'' is a 1971 British gangster film, gangster thriller film, written and directed by Mike Hodges in his directorial debut and starring Michael Caine, Ian Hendry, John Osborne, Britt Ekland and Bryan Mosley. Based on Ted Lewis (write ...

971 Year 971 ( CMLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men) attacks the Bulgarian frontier, perso ...

and ''Villain''

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." '' 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." ''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." ''The

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

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."

Leslie Halliwell Robert James Leslie Halliwell (23 February 1929 – 21 January 1989) was a British film critic, encyclopaedist and television rights buyer for ITV, the British commercial network, and Channel 4. He is best known for his reference guides, '' Fi ...

said: "Rough, tough action thriller; passes the time for hardened addicts."

Soundtrack

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

References

External links

* *
''Sitting Target''
at Trailers from Hell
''New York Times'' review
{{Douglas Hickox 1972 films 1972 crime drama films 1972 crime thriller films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films British crime thriller films British films about revenge Films based on British novels Films directed by Douglas Hickox Films scored by Stanley Myers Films shot in London British drama films 1970s English-language films 1970s British films English-language crime drama films English-language crime thriller films