Shatter

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.

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.

Shatter (1974) was the second time Shaw Brothers and Hammer Films worked together. This time around the results are not as wild and as entertaining as their previous collaboration (The Seven Golden Vampires) but it's worth your while.

Stuart Whitman plays your stereotypical all American actor (a type of role that would later be defined by two other great actors Scott Glenn and Fred Ward). He stars as Shatter, man of many skills. Like all people of his ilk, he has completed a job and all parties want him. Like all movie professionals he runs into the same problems (i.e. reneged contract, can't trust anybody, etc.). Peter Cushing guest stars as an English Special Agent as well as several Shaw Brothers' players (Lily Lee as the love interest and Ti Lung as Shatter's protectorate). Throw in Wei Lo (staff director of the Shaws) in a cameo and bit parts from Fung Hark-On and Lee Hoi Sang and viola! You have Shatter! Despite the lack of an interesting action direction (like Liu Chia Hua) the fight scenes are above average and they aptly showcase Ti Lung's skills (it's a shame that he never made it big time, his English wasn't bad and he has charisma).

Fun for all, recommended for Hammer Films fans and Shaw Brothers marks.

Stuart Whitman is an international assassin with an evocative name. After performing a hit on a corrupt African leader, he takes refuge in Hong Kong. There he soons begins an affair with Lily Li and an alliance with her brother, martial arts master Lung Ti. But Whitman does not seem to be popular, and several distinct and disparate forces, like the international crime syndicate, the dead dictator's brother, and the British government in the person of Peter Cushing (in his last role for Hammer). And other shadowy forces that want the money he collected for his work, as well as some significant photographs he holds.

This co-production between Hammer and the Shaw Brothers was a troubled production. Monte Hellman shot most of it, but there were delays because Hellman and the cameraman were ill. So Michael Carreras fired Hellman, directed what was left, and took sole credit. Like many martial arts movies in this period, there's just enough of a story to set up the fight scenes. Whitman is stalwart, Miss Li is pretty, and Cushing, as usual, gives value for money.

Stuart Whitman was a good choice to play the burly and rough-edged hitman of the movie, but it's a pity that he doesn't get much of substance to do. The main fault is a slow-moving screenplay; after the first 20 minutes, it takes about half an hour before things really start to move again, and even after that point things don't really move that much faster. The various action scenes are only okay at best. Though the behind-the-scenes problems the movie suffered from don't make for any real glaring problems, there are still some notable holes here and there. However, the movie does give us a really scenic tour of early 1970s Hong Kong; if you are curious about what it was like to live there back then, the movie may be worth a look.