Skip Tracer, also known as Deadly Business, is a Canadian drama film, directed by Zale Dalen and released in 1977.[1]

Skip Tracer
Directed byZale Dalen
Written byZale Dalen
Produced byLaara Dalen
StarringDavid Petersen
John Lazarus
CinematographyRon Orieux
Edited byZale Dalen
Music byJ. Douglas Dodd
Linton S. Garner
Production
company
Highlight Communications
Distributed byInternational Film Distributors
G.G. Communications
Release date
  • September 13, 1977 (1977-09-13) (TIFF)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$250,000

Plot

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The 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

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Skip 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

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Petersen 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

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  1. ^ a b Jay Scott, "Skip Tracer: Dalen connects with the man who collects". The Globe and Mail, November 25, 1978.
  2. ^ a b "Skip Tracer first Canadian film at N.Y. festival". The Globe and Mail, September 25, 1978.
  3. ^ "'Skip Tracer': Did this 1977 oddball cult film influence 'Repo Man'?". DangerousMinds. 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  4. ^ a b Deadly Business, retrieved 2022-03-03
  5. ^ "Back stage". The Globe and Mail, October 15, 1977.
  6. ^ "Etrogs bogged and bungled". Richmond Review. November 25, 1977. p. 14. Retrieved March 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  7. ^ Stein, Elliott (November–December 1978). "Festivals: New York 1978". Film Comment.
  8. ^ Carole Corbeil, "The stars are coming out for Toronto's film festival". The Globe and Mail, September 6, 1984.
  9. ^ "Nick Pinkerton on "Gimme Shelter: Hollywood North"". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  10. ^ "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. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
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