''Title Shot'' is a Canadian crime drama film, directed by

Les Rose Les Rose was a Canadian film and television director. He was most noted for the film '' Three Card Monte'', for which he received a Canadian Film Award nomination for Best Director at the 29th Canadian Film Awards in 1978. Rose began his career ...

and released in 1979.

Gerald Pratley Gerald Arthur Pratley (September 3, 1923 – March 14, 2011) was a Canadian film critic and historian.Piers Handling"Gerald Arthur Pratley" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', September 18, 2011. A longtime film critic for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp ...

, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 219. Rose's second collaboration with writer and actor

Richard Gabourie Richard Gabourie (April 30, 1939 – October 11, 2004) was a Canadian actor, screenwriter and film producer, most noted for winning the Canadian Film Award for Best Actor in 1978 for '' Three Card Monte''. Born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Gabouri ...

following 1978's ''

Three Card Monte Three-card Monte – also known as Find the Lady and Three-card Trick – is a confidence game in which the victims, or "marks", are tricked into betting a sum of money, on the assumption that they can find the "money card" among three face-dow ...

'', the film stars Gabourie as Blake, a police detective in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

who is investigating an attempt by crime boss Frank Renzetti (

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

) to rig the outcome of

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

matches. The film premiered at the 1979 Festival of Festivals. The film was more poorly received by critics than ''Three Card Monte''.

Jay Scott Jeffrey Scott Beaven (October 4, 1949 – July 30, 1993), known professionally by his pen name Jay Scott, was a Canadian film critic."Critic Jay Scott, 43 among world's best". ''Toronto Star'', July 31, 1993. Early life Scott was born in Lincol ...

of ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' wrote that "by the time the climax has rolled around, there have been a number of good performances ( Susan Hogan,

Jack Duffy Jack Duffy (September 27, 1926 – May 19, 2008) was a Canadian singer, comedian and actor. Life and career Born in Montreal, Duffy grew up in Toronto, dropping out of Central Technical School to become a singer. At age 19, he was hired as a st ...

Taborah Johnson Taborah Johnson, also known as Tabby Johnson, is a Canadian singer and actress. She is the sister of actor Clark Johnson and rock and jazz singer Molly Johnson. She began her career in the Toronto production of '' Hair'' as a teenager. She was ...

, Sean McCann) and many demonstrations of first-rate composition, rhythm and editing. But there have also been continuity and emphasis miscalculations — a strike at Curtis' bakery is introduced and then dropped, and the movie rushes by Curtis' fate (he's flamboyantly sleazy enough to care about) in favour of letting Gabourie twinkle his way into a big-star farewell. It took years for

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

to reach the audience-patting excess of ''

Goin' South ''Goin' South'' is a 1978 American Western- comedy film, directed by and starring Jack Nicholson, with Mary Steenburgen, Christopher Lloyd, John Belushi, Richard Bradford, Veronica Cartwright, Danny DeVito and Ed Begley Jr. Plot Henry Llo ...

''; Gabourie has turned into the actor's version of a used car salesman after two movies."

, "Title Shot misses both of its targets". ''

'', September 11, 1979. In his 2003 book ''A Century of Canadian Cinema'',

described the film as disappointing, boring and filled with unlikable characters.

References

External links

* 1979 films Canadian crime drama films English-language Canadian films Films scored by Paul Zaza Films set in Toronto Films shot in Toronto Canadian boxing films Films directed by Les Rose 1979 crime drama films 1970s English-language films 1970s Canadian films {{1970s-Canada-film-stub