Sitting Target (1972)

Harry Lamar (Oliver Reed) and Birdy Williams (Ian McShane) escape from jail to kill Harry’s adulterous wife and her lover.

One of Sitting Target’s most admirable qualities is the careful choreography and photography of its stunts. In one instance, the protagonists perform a suspenseful high-wire act over a prison yard, patrolled by guards. Furthermore, the most-unforgettable scene comes when police motorcycles chase Harry through washing lines, below a Brutalist tower block. Such sequences makes Sitting Target one of the most outstanding, albeit forgotten British thrillers. Aesthetically, the set design is a time machine to the floral patterns of swinging London.

In contrast to other British thrillers of its era, Sitting Target is bloody and fast-paced. Nevertheless, the movie is heavily elevated by the casting of Oliver Reed. In spite of his chequered personal life, what is irrefutable is Reed was one of the 20th century’s cardinal actors. Reed is so intense, convincing, powerful and menacing, his craft plays more like horrific reality than fiction. True of his entire filmography, Reed’s performance is a masterclass in great acting. Ian McShane, a decade into his cinematic career, is equally proficient, for his unnerving, two-faced intrigue.