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Customer Reviews of The Shooting

Duel In The Dust
THE SHOOTING (1966): Willet Gashade (Warren Oates) and his dimwitted friend Coley (Will Hutchins) are in a state of growing paranoia after their partner is inexplicably shot to death by an unseen assassin at their small mining camp. The murder may have been in retaliation for the accidental trampling death of "a little person" in town, ostensibly by Gashade's brother, who had left camp in a great hurry immediately prior to the shooting. The next morning, while the two remain confused and suspicious over this disturbing mystery, a strange young woman (Millie Perkins) shoots her horse to death outside of the camp and then offers Gashade a thousand dollars to lead her to a place called Kingsley. He accepts even though he makes no attempt to hide his distrust. Intrigued by The Woman, Coley offers to tag along. On their journey, the trio are tracked at a distance by a black clad stranger, Billy Spear (Jack Nicholson). Meanwhile, The Woman laughingly toys with Coley's emotions and refuses to answer any of Gashade's questions. Spear eventually joins them and proves to be a most despicable companion. Hostile and abusive in the extreme, Spear is a gunslinger cohort of The Woman, who is herself quickly revealed to be every bit as wicked as Gashade had suspected from the beginning. Eventually, the strange journey ends in bloody disarray at the foot of a rock-strewn mountain, where Gashade comes face to face with the answer to the mystery, at great cost.

One of the most celebrated of all cult movies, and deservedly so, THE SHOOTING is a truly great example of the once vital western form, a triumphant dying gasp for the genre. This compelling tale of weird vengeance is directed with icy cold brilliance by Monte Hellman. The perennially underrated Hellman works wonders on a lowbudget, with stunning cinematography (by Gregory Sandor) provoking a strong aura of the mysterious and uncanny even in the most realistically detailed scenes.

A small but terrific cast helps brings the occasionally mystical narrative to life. Warren Oates plays the world weary and wise Grashade with his usual gritty style, making him a suitable anti-hero for this dark tale. He's an excellent foe to Jack Nicholson's irredeemably evil Billy Spear, one of the most repulsively mean of all movie villains. As bad as he is, Nicholson is ultimately simply a well armed servant at the beck and call of The Woman, who is beautifully played by Millie Perkins for maximum hissability. Both Spear and The Woman engineer the destruction of Oates' foolish sidekick Coley, whose decency earns him an undeserved fate; Will Hutchins' charmingly sweet performance provides the film with its only moments of gentleness.

Richly ambiguous and by turns realistic and dreamlike, THE SHOOTING is a sporadically baffling but undeniably heady ride into the desert. The creepy ending makes this one of those rare movies that will compel you to immediately rewatch the whole thing from beginning to end, if only so you can try to satisfy your curiosity about what it just might REALLY be all about. Its THAT great of a movie.

The VCI DVD presents THE SHOOTING in a fine, modestly letterboxed transfer that captures the film in all its eerie widescreen glory. Since the film never received a theatrical release and has been shown only rarely on television, this is the first time most people will have ever had the chance to see this film in its intended aspect ratio. The only extra is a terrific and highly informative audio commentary from Hellman and Perkins, who vividly recall with candor and humor the filming of this ultra-cheap, high-class production.

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Doesn't make a lot of sense, but interesting
Not sure what to make of this film. It doesn't make a lot of sense.

Summary:
While Willett Gashade (Warren Oates) was gone for supplies for his mining operation (very small mining operation of only a couple of people in the middle of the desert) his brother and one of their friends got into some trouble in town. They both return to the camp but Willet's brother flees the camp and the friend is gunned down in the middle camp. Another friend, Coley Boyard (Will Hutchins), sees what happens, but it upsets him so much that he hides in the mine with his gun. When Willet finally returns he has to talk Coley out of the cave. Not long after he does, a woman (Millie Perkins), whose name we never find out, appears and hires Willet to guide her across the desert to a city. Willet agrees to go but only if Coley can come.

So they set out, with Coley as something of an errand boy and Willet as the rough and tumble tracker. What Willet and Coley don't realize is that the woman has already hired a gunmen that is riding behind them and trying to stay out of sight to kill the person they are tracking. Though they were told they were just helping the woman across the desert, they are actually tracking someone, and the woman wants that someone dead.

When Coley accidentally sends the wrong signal to the hired gun, Billy Spear (Jack Nicholson), Billy appears at their camp then joins the entourage. As they finally catch up to the person they are 'hunting', Billy kills Coley for trying to warn Willet that Billy is likely just going to kill them all in the end. When Billy passes out from the heat, Willet beats him up then crushes his gun hand with a rock, preventing him from being able to accomplish his mission.

While Willet and Billy are fighting, the woman chases the prey up a mountain side. Once Willet finishes with Billy he enters the chase and reaches the woman in time to ?

Sorry about the question mark there. The truth is, you aren't exactly sure what happens. You hear gun shots and it seems like the prey (whom I believe is Willet's brother), the woman, and Willet all die. But you can't be sure. The only person that looks to be alive when the movie ends is Billy.

My Comments:
I must admit, even though nothing is ever really happening, that the set up of the movie is good enough to make you want to keep watching it. You don't ever really know what is going on and you never actually find out, either. But, because we are human, we want to try to figure it out. So, we keep watching, hoping to pick up on some detail that will help the movie make sense. None are forthcoming.

The soundtrack reminds me of the original The Planet of the Apes, where the music just doesn't seem to fit the action, and there are long periods of time when you would think there should be music, but there isn't any. I guess, if the intent of the director was to give the impression that this story was taking place over an indeterminate period of time, he accomplished his goal. To the viewer, the movie seems to go on forever and it feels like they spend months out in the desert.

Overall, the movie kept my interest most of the time just because I wanted to figure out what was going on. It never made much sense, which I guess is okay. I definitely don't think this movie is for everyone. I didn't think it was too bad, but I didn't really love it either.

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SEE THIS WITH "RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND"
In the spring of 1965, Roger Corman, the king of profitable, low budget movies, helped produce (without credit) two amazing films that have achieved legendary cult status. Now, thanks to VCI Home Video, Monte Hellman's "THE SHOOTING" and "RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND" are available on DVD in pristine, widescreen transfers. The films are subtly interconected.

Both films star a then unknown Jack Nicholson and super starlet Millie Perkins and were shot simultaneously on location in Utah for the modest amount of $150,000. Nicholson also wrote and co-produced "Ride in the Whirlwind" which is a straightforward tale of the making of a bad man and features sharp performances from Cameron Mitchell, the great Harry Dean Stanton, Rupert Crosse and Katherine Squire among others.

After accidentally happening on a group of outlaws, and getting caught in the crossfire by a sheriff and his posse, Wes (Jack Nicholson) is mistaken for one of the gang and escapes. But, in order to defend himself during his flight, has to start killing. By the end of the film he has become a legendary and mythic figure. Quentin Tarantino, a big fan of Hellman, has called this "one of the greatest films ever made."

In the "The Shooting," former bounty hunter turned miner Gashade (Warren Oates) returns to his diggings to find one of his partners, Leland, dead, his brother Coigne gone, and his third partner, Coley (Will Hutchins) holed-up in a nearby cave. Soon, a mysterious woman (Millie Perkins) materializes out of nowhere and offers Gashade a huge sum of money to guide her on a journey he soon realizes is a manhunt.

The quirky screenplay is by Adrien Joyce, the odd pen-name of the brilliant screenwriter Carole Eastman who wrote the acclaimed "Five Easy Pieces" which also stars Nicholson.

What "The Shooting" is actually about is anybody's guess. It has been called an existential western, or anti western. The super low-budget enforced a minimalist, almost surrealistic style that is terrific and timeless. The stark outdoor locations add immensely to the mood and of this this strange, enigmatic story that seems to reflect mid 60's paranoia and disillusionment.

Since their initial release, both films, though seldom seen, have become critical favorites, and have attained cult film status here and in Europe. Both discs include an entertaining and revealing commentary by director Monte Hellman and actor Millie Perkins with additional informed commentary by American Cinematheque programmer Dennis Bartok.