An elitely trained former Legionnaire embarks on a vengeful killing spree. Utilising the techniques which prepared him to avoid capture and survive behind enemy lines, Straight Shooter (Heino Ferch) kills a number of high ranking officials he blames for the death of his family. The government bring in his former commanding officer, the only man with intimate knowledge of the killer's methods and psychology.Made in Germany, with a view to international release, this First Blood (1982) variant casts American actor Dennis Hopper in the lead role of former commander Frank Hector, while the German cast members have their voices dubbed for the English-language version.Straight Shooter is interesting because it's characters are not clear cut heroes and villains. When we are first introduced to Hector he is telling his girlfriend she has to get an abortion, when she says she does not want to he violently slaps her.This opening scene bears little relevance to the plot but does put the audience in an intriguingly awkward position as the love story between Hector and the District Attorney he is working with unfolds. In contrast, the film's villain is portrayed sympathetically as a loving husband and father driven over the edge. Both characters occupy a grey area which makes this stand out against other black and white, good versus evil thrillers.The film has an unusual look, which emphasises a unique vision. Bohn incorporates grainy and bleached flashback sequences and one excellent scene uses computer morphing technology to take us from an empty building exterior to the middle of a war zone and back again. There is also a good car chase / action sequence in the final half hour in which Straight Shooter is chased by a police squad car (a Porsche) and a BMW. He lures the cars into his lair and blows them up with a grenade booby trap and a rocket launcher.Use of space in Straight Shooter is particularly striking. Notable for its lack of claustrophobic locations and camera-work, director Bohn uses a series of long-shots and medium long-shots throughout the film, which give even the modestly sized house and apartment interiors a sense of openness. Shot in 2.35:1 widescreen, in addition to the bold photography of urban exteriors and cityscapes, the majority of the film takes place in architecturally vast buildings, which use wide spaces and glass partitions to emphasise the vulnerability of the characters. This is not an extraordinary film but it is a very interesting one. Well worth seeking out if you're a Hopper fan or interested in European films influenced by Hollywood.

Straight Shooter is a very good film that has a good cast which includes Dennis Hopper, Heino Ferch, Katja Flint, Hannelore Hoger, Ulrich Mühe, Jürgen Schornagel, Bernhard Bettermann, Maximillian Beckmann, Bianca Brad, Georg Blumreiter, Klaus Czizek, Walter Gontermann, Holger von Hartlieb, Stefan Hunstein, Nadine Klante, and Nicole Leòn. The acting by all of these actors is very good. Hopper is really excellent in this film. I thought that he performed good. I couldn't help but laugh at the dubbing! The thrills is really good and some of it is surprising. The movie is filmed very good. The music is good. The film is quite interesting and the movie really keeps you going until the end. This is a very good and thrilling film. If you Dennis Hopper, Heino Ferch, Katja Flint, Hannelore Hoger, Ulrich Mühe, Jürgen Schornagel, Bernhard Bettermann, Maximillian Beckmann, Bianca Brad, Georg Blumreiter, the rest of the cast in the film, Action, Thrillers, Mystery, Dramas, and interesting films then I strongly recommend you to see this film today!

Surprise, surprise. It seems as if with Thomas Bohn there is a german writer/director to watch. The movie may have some flaws and inconsistencies, but looking at lots of terrible other german movies, this is a real milestone. Usually german movies are not that entertaining, look at another failed attempt to create a thriller, Dominik Graf´s "Die Sieger", which more and more became a kind of drama during it´s running time. This one has a cool look, great cinematography and editing, and fine actors like Dennis Hopper, Heino Ferch (who really looks like Bruce Willis) and Katja Flint. Some points of the story are not very believable, but still this is the only german thriller that has a professional look and feel and thats a lot more than most of the german movies have.

STRAIGHT SHOOTER is a straight forward movie in a way, we all have seen in the German TATORT TV-series before. Director Thomas Bohn did well and tried to get a deeper inside view of a human killer (the Straight Shooter - Dennis Hopper as Frank Hector gave him this name but I still don't know why, did I miss a line?). Dennis Hopper is minimized to a very cool character (sorry for him) and Heino Ferch as Shooter could become a real German Bruce Willis - he should just have spoken a bit more! Thanx to Producer Joseph Vilsmaier for getting away from stupid German comedies and at least try to make a straight forward German thriller!