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El Dynamito!<\/em> SHOT<\/strong> has burst from its VHS grave thanks to the restorative efforts of collector\u2019s label Vinegar Syndrome<\/strong> and the agreeability of its writer\/director, Mitch Brown<\/strong>, and producer, Nate Kohn<\/strong>, who could have easily buried their student magnum opus<\/em> for good. It is by no means a stellar example of cinema or an important note in the history of movies, but SHOT<\/strong> has always registered with us at <\/span>C-U Blogfidential<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> as a particular blip on the local timeline that signified a little something ahead<\/em> of its time. While viewing the new Blu-ray release derived from a 2K scan, we can marvel at not only its miraculous existence but also its ambition, given that it is an amateur production filled with plentiful action set pieces and cheeky spins on then-common Hollywood<\/strong> tropes and trends.<\/p>\n The film doesn\u2019t really have a direct correlation to anything that came after it in Champaign-Urbana<\/strong> or at the University of Illinois<\/strong>, even with Kohn\u2019s later participation in Cyberfest<\/strong> and Roger Ebert\u2019s Film Festival<\/strong>, but it is a fascinating piece of feature-length storytelling rendered on Champaign County<\/strong> soil well before all the comparable efforts produced here in the last 20 years. A much younger Brown and Kohn and their peers took SHOT<\/strong> seriously enough to acquire props and gags, purchase and repaint stunt cars, secure locations, cast age-appropriate actors, hire both an experienced cinematographer and sound recordist, and draft a shooting script with unabashed market salability, in this case the \u201cflawed cop\/corrupt system\u201d angle hitting its peak with the likes of DIRTY HARRY<\/strong> and THE FRENCH CONNECTION<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Even if they did crib mercilessly from the genre box-office hits of the day, the crew behind SHOT<\/strong> took advantage of the Champaign-Urbana surrounding them. Country roads, rail yards, community parks, and the Champaign County Fairgrounds<\/strong> provide a weathered Midwest expanse in which the drama can play out, while college-friendly businesses no longer serving C-U like Mr. Quick<\/strong> and Chicken Unlimited<\/strong> make fun appearances. Nothing distinct on the UIUC campus is visible or identifiable except for the easily accessible like an odd fa\u00e7ade or parking garage; we\u2019re certain much was avoided on purpose to affect a \u201cbigger city\u201d atmosphere. Location selection plays a big part in making SHOT<\/strong> feel much more grandiose than its $15,000 budget might have otherwise allowed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Despite the dated attitudes of certain characters, fair-to-stilted acting, and subplots that are snuffed out as carelessly as some of the drug runners defeated by Ross (Richard C. Watt<\/strong>) and Wilson (Charles Russell<\/strong>), SHOT<\/strong> is an entertaining throwback. We do wonder what unsuspecting renters might have thought of it back in 1987, when Sony Video Systems<\/strong> originally put it out on VHS and Beta as DEATH SHOT<\/strong>, or how much of a Big Thing it was considered when Kohn, Brown, and their Cinemaguild<\/strong> campus club premiered it at Foellinger Auditorium<\/strong> in 1973. That is the past, however, and as of yesterday, Tuesday, August 28<\/strong>, Vinegar Syndrome\u2019s Blu-ray\/DVD combination package will introduce SHOT<\/strong> to a mostly new audience<\/a><\/span> that might be more receptive to a curio like this in our pop-culture friendly climate.<\/p>\n SHOT<\/strong> was shot full-frame, maybe not surprising since camera man Rod Adrian<\/strong> worked for the university\u2019s documentary production unit, so it is presented with letterbox-style blank spaces on the sides. The footage looks as grainy and simply lit as one might expect from a student 16mm project, yet it only adds to the aesthetic. Bold or primary colors pop drastically against the gray and brown drabness in nearly every scene \u2013 filming took place in the winter of 1972-73, again providing ready-made production design on a dime \u2013 and the sound is a clear mono track that emphasizes dialogue and \u201cthuds\u201d over nuance. This includes the jaunty instrumentals performed by Nashville<\/span><\/strong> group Area Code 615<\/strong><\/span><\/a> such as \u201cScotland<\/strong>,\u201d which is heard in the trailer and runs under the main titles.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n