Skip Tracer, also known as Deadly Business, is a Canadian drama film, directed by Zale Dalen and released in 1977.[1]
| Skip Tracer | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Zale Dalen |
| Written by | Zale Dalen |
| Produced by | Laara Dalen |
| Starring | David Petersen John Lazarus |
| Cinematography | Ron Orieux |
| Edited by | Zale Dalen |
| Music by | J. Douglas Dodd Linton S. Garner |
Production company | Highlight Communications |
| Distributed by | International Film Distributors G.G. Communications |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $250,000 |
Plot
editThe film stars David Petersen as John Collins, a repo man who begins to regret his career choice after being paired with Brent Solverman (John Lazarus), a new trainee whose very different perspective on the job begins to trigger Collins' conscience.[1]
Production and Release
editSkip Tracer was Dalen's feature-length directorial debut. The film was made for a budget of just $250,000 after Dalen and his wife Laara, acting as the film's producer, decided that they were dissatisfied with their jobs and wanted to work in film.[2]
The film was released on VHS under the name Deadly Business.[3][4]
Reception and legacy
editPetersen received a Canadian Film Award nomination for Best Actor,[5] and Dalen received the Wendy Michener Award for "most promising new talent", at the 28th Canadian Film Awards.[6] In 1978, Skip Tracer was screened at the Chicago International Film Festivall,[4] and would also become the first Canadian film ever selected for screening at the New York Film Festival.[2]
The film received generally mixed reviews, with Elliott Stein for Film Comment calling the film "more tedious than interestingly harrowing."[7]
It was later screened at the 1984 Festival of Festivals as part of Front & Centre, a special retrospective program of artistically and culturally significant films from throughout the history of Canadian cinema.[8]
The film has gained reputation as a cult classic, with many categorizing it as "Canuxploitation."[9]
In 2022, the film was remastered for the first time on Blu-Ray by Canadian independent distributor, Gold Ninja Video.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b Jay Scott, "Skip Tracer: Dalen connects with the man who collects". The Globe and Mail, November 25, 1978.
- ^ a b "Skip Tracer first Canadian film at N.Y. festival". The Globe and Mail, September 25, 1978.
- ^ "'Skip Tracer': Did this 1977 oddball cult film influence 'Repo Man'?". DangerousMinds. 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ a b Deadly Business, retrieved 2022-03-03
- ^ "Back stage". The Globe and Mail, October 15, 1977.
- ^ "Etrogs bogged and bungled". Richmond Review. November 25, 1977. p. 14. Retrieved March 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Stein, Elliott (November–December 1978). "Festivals: New York 1978". Film Comment.
- ^ Carole Corbeil, "The stars are coming out for Toronto's film festival". The Globe and Mail, September 6, 1984.
- ^ "Nick Pinkerton on "Gimme Shelter: Hollywood North"". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ "Gold Ninja Video on Twitter: "NEW RELEASE! Gold Ninja Video is proud to present on Blu-ray a new 2K remaster of the Canadian Cult Classic SKIP TRACER (1977). Never released on DVD or Blu-ray. Pre-Order it here: https://t.co/VqYCZohbVZ https://t.co/7iL0SYjkCi" / Twitter". 2022-03-03. Archived from the original on 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
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External links
edit- Skip Tracer at IMDb
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