Shatter

I have a long association with SHATTER going back to the mid 1970s when it was one of those films that instead of going straight to DVD, went straight to cable. In the early days of HBO where it was known as CALL HIM MR SHATTER, the movie was a late night fixture airing after more respectable viewers had gone to bed. I remember thinking at the time what an oddball cinematic exercise it was to mix a film noir plot (doublecrossed hit man seeks revenge) with martial arts (or kung-fu as Americans used to say) activity.

And what were stalwarts Peter Cushing and Anton Diffring doing in this East-West hodgepodge? Surely this wasn't a Hammer production? Indeed it was. In fact it was Cushing's last role for the company where he had been a mainstay since starring in CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN 17 years earlier and he makes the most of his brief appearances as an amoral police official.

SHATTER was the second and last collaboration of Hammer with Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers after the notorious but hard to dislike LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES. Both movies were made in 1974 and while LEGEND proceeded fairly smoothly and wound up making money, SHATTER was a troubled production and didn't recoup its meager budget which is why it went to cable so fast.

Cult American director Monte Hellman (TWO LANE BLACKTOP) started the film but was replaced halfway through after complaining about nearly everything (just listen to his commentary). Michael Carreras found himself directing another film where the director was unable to complete his assignment. World weary Stuart Whitman looks as if he'd rather be anywhere else but at least it's not THE MONSTER CLUB or DEMONOID. Not a good movie but it's not without some merit. The ending sums SHATTER up perfectly. For true Hammer aficionados only.

An African dictator is assasinated by a secret serviceman unbeknownst that he was hired by a mob rather than his government. He goes to Hong Kong to collect his fee and finds that the mob, his own government, and the African nation are all after him. Stuart Whitman plays the very tired looking Mr. Shatter. He looks like Jack Riley playing Mr. Carlin on the Bob Newhart Show! He meets up with a couple kung fu fighters, one a young man who is the best fighter in Asia and the other a young girl who falls in love with Whitman's lack of charm and exhausted looks. The film has some great fight scenes and the young kung fu expert Lung Ti is an exceptional martial arts expert. Despite the film's obvious flaws, it is a pretty good action-thriller. The acting takes a back seat to the martial arts and the great scenery of a bustling Hong Kong. Peter Cushing has a small role as a British secret service agent and his cameo is the best thing in the film. The role gives Cushing a great part as a rather sadistic, sharp-tounged man with a great sense of ironic humour. He chews his lines with obvious relish(must have been happy he got the free trip to Hong Kong when he heard he was going to be billed below Stuart Whitman in a film named Shatter!). Whitman is also bested by Anton Diffring as the banker for the mob and Whitman's chief nemesis. Diffring had a way playing men of low moral character. Hammer worked with the Shaw Brothers(they produced numerous martial arts films) and came out with a pretty entertaining film. Though not nearly as exciting or innovative as The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, Shatter still delivers some punch...and flying feet!

Long unavailable on home vid, this was just one of the many projects that cult maestro Monte Hellman ghost-directed. So when the good folks at Roan decided to release this on LD, I jumped at the chance to get a copy. At forty bucks, it was worth it. But I had to order off the Dollar Menu for the rest of the week.

It was a long-held belief that Hellman only directed a small portion of the film before being sacked and replaced by producer Michael Carreras. But in the running commentary, Hellman, upon seeing the movie for the very first time, was surprised to see that at least 80% of the final cut is his.

Though no "Background to Danger," this is a very passable B-adventure, with Whitman a fine hero/foil. Whitman's Shatter is another in the long line of Hellman loner-man-on-the-outside-looking-in protagonists. The film also bears striking similarities with the long forgotten "Karate-the Hand of Death" (1961)about an American Karate expert returning to Japan after the war and runs afoul of some mob types. "Shatter" is a decent way to spend an hour and a half on a rainy afternoon, and a find for Monte Hellman completeists.

Kicking, shooting and beating aplenty in this Hammer/Shaw Brothers co-production starring Whitman as a hitman with a conscience. Not much here you haven't seen before, but Whitman is OK, the music is kinda funky and, while he doesn't have much screen time, it's always great to see Peter Cushing.

The other Hammer / Shaw Brothers collaboration, Shatter's conception predates The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, as it was originally pitched as a Canadian co-production before being confined to a shelf for a few years and then resurrected as part of the collaboration deal. Rather than a period drama as both companies were used to producing, Shatter sees the action transported to contemporary Hong Kong and it's used to great effect, even if it amounts to nothing more than a lot of glorious eye candy. The film ran into many problems during production and this is evident in the finished product, the editing is off by a beat, it doesn't go anywhere very fast and isn't helped by a mediocre script. Stuart Whitman doesn't care about his role, an entirely one-note performance, but he's carried by the indomitable Peter Cushing who always gives 100%, remaining a joyous presence in this otherwise substandard kung fu exploitation. Ti Lung is the actual star here even if he struggles with his English dialogue, the same problem befalls Lily Li. In the end, the novelty value of Shatter probably makes this more of interest to Shaw fans than Hammer fans; although I enjoyed the film, like Golden Vampires, it just left me wanting more from its initial promise, ultimately coming across as incredibly sloppy and rather underwhelming.