Shoot to Kill 1988

In San Francisco, a man is caught breaking into his own jewelry store, and the FBI questions him to learn that his wife is being held hostage by a brutal extortionist who demands the store’s diamonds for her life. During a tense standoff at the jeweler’s home, the extortionist shoots the family’s maid and demands that the jeweler’s wife be brought to the docks. FBI agent Warren Stantin tails them, but the attempt to stop the extortionist ends in tragedy: the jeweler’s wife is shot in the left eye and killed, while the extortionist rigs a boat as a decoy and escapes.

Stantin follows the trail to Washington, where a man has been found shot in the left eye at a mine in a rugged forest. Convinced the extortionist killed the man and stole his identity, Stantin learns that a fishing party led by Sarah Rennell [Kirstie Alley] went into the forest from the mine, and he enlists her partner Jonathan Knox [Sidney Poitier] to help locate them. The search soon broadens beyond the mine, pulling the pair into a wary alliance with the fishing group.

As the pursuit unfolds, the fishing party halts when a fisherman nearly tumbles from a ledge. A fellow fisherman, Steve [Clancy Brown], hesitates to help and, after a tense moment, forces the others to retreat and takes Sarah hostage, insisting she lead him to Canada. The landscape shifts from rivers and ridges to a grueling trek through a snowbound terrain, where Stantin and Knox press on, following clues that hint at a broader conspiracy.

In a cabin near Sarah’s route, they discover a note in her handwriting confirming that she is still alive. The journey grows grimmer as a savage snowstorm bears down, and Knox’s stubborn endurance earns Stantin’s respect—an understanding that deepens when Stantin saves Knox from a grizzly bear. The rescue turns urgent when Sarah breaks free from Steve, only to be recaptured and forced into a dangerous escape by a logging truck.

The chase moves to Vancouver, where Steve and Sarah break into a home to rest and call a diamond broker. Stantin and Knox stake out the broker’s meeting place, interrogate the broker, and trace the deal to an exchange. A tense showdown erupts when Steve holds Sarah at gunpoint, and Knox intervenes, distracting Steve long enough for Sarah to be freed. Steve carjacks an SUV and leads a high-stakes pursuit through the city and onto the ferries, with police in hot pursuit.

Believing they have a false lead, Stantin and Knox double back and search a second ferry. In a final confrontation, Steve and Stantin exchange fire; Knox creates a distraction that allows Sarah to escape from captivity. As Steve forces a hostage situation, Stantin is mortally wounded—struggling to keep balance as Steve aims to shoot him in the left eye. With bullets spent, Steve’s plan collapses, and the two men tumble into the water. Stantin shoots Steve, killing him, and Knox dives to pull him from the depths. A rescue boat finally takes them to safety, closing a perilous chain of events that tests endurance, loyalty, and the stark line between pursuit and survival.