The
Good Guys chain of electronic stores no longer exists, nor does the CompUSA chain
that was subsequently absorbed by an online retailer, after buying them out. It
probably did not help the Good Guys brand much when one of its stores became
the location of the 1991 Sacramento Hostage Crisis. The police response—still
considered the largest hostage rescue in American history—is thinly
fictionalized in director-screenwriter Nick Leisure’s A Clear Shot,
which releases today on DVD and VOD.
Lt.
Gomez is the hostage negotiator in charge, but the Sheriff is itching to take
control and unleash the SWAT team. Gomez is getting pressure from all sides,
but the first on the scene Sgt. “Kappy” has respect for his mentor. He also
quickly recruits Officer Advencula to his field kitchen cabinet. Unfortunately,
the four hostage-takers are twitchy and dangerously prone to internal strife.
Of course, there are also children and pregnant hostages to further raise the
stakes.
Clear
Shot is
a sturdily constructed but not especially remarkable police drama. As Gomez,
Mario Van Peebles goes all-in with world-weary understatement and it mostly works.
Hao Do and Kevin Bach help humanize the reluctant half of the four gunmen,
which heightens the sense of inevitable tragedy. However, the real standout is
Marshal Hilton, who develops believable buddy-cop chemistry with Van Peebles
and shines in what is probably the film’s most memorable scene (you’ll know it
when you see it).
Leisure
maintains a fair degree of tension, while essentially updating events from 1991
to contemporary day with little impact on the narrative (except maybe the fact
that it is getting hard to find a mid-sized brick-and-mortar electronics
store). More importantly, it reminds us how difficult it is to resolve a
hostage stand-off. Honesty, a lot of people probably think they could be
hostage negotiators (just keep them talking, right?), but you should really
leave it to the professionals.
