The Shooting (1966)

A mysterious woman persuades two cowboys to help her in a revenge scheme.

Director:

Monte Hellman

Writer:

Carole Eastman (as Adrien Joyce)

Stars:

Millie Perkins, Jack Nicholson, Will Hutchins

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Will Hutchins	...	Coley
Millie Perkins	...	Woman
Jack Nicholson	...	Billy Spear
Warren Oates	...	Willett Gashade
Charles Eastman	...	Bearded Man
Guy El Tsosie	...	Indian
Brandon Carroll	...	Sheriff
B.J. Merholz	...	Leland Drum
Wally K. Berns	...	Deputy (as Wally Moon)
William Mackleprang	...	Cross Tree Townsman
James Campbell	...	Cross Tree Townsman

Storyline

An ex- bounty hunter turned miner returns to his mine dig to find one of his partners dead, how brother has run away and the remaining partner is slightly simple and unclear as to what happened. warren is enlisted by a mysterious women to take her across the desert. The woman is strange and keeps changing her story about what she wants and why. On the journey they pick up a gunslinger the woman has hired. The party ends up tracking a rider who is ahead of them. Warren figures out that the trip is really to track down the rider. It's along hot trip across the desert with a purposeful woman,a homicidal gunslinger, the former bounty hunter and his simple sidekick and the unknown quarry.

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Plot Keywords:

murdered with a gun | murderer | murder victim | acid western | f rated | 

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Taglines:

UNEQUALLED CLIMAX which we urge you not to reveal!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Millie Perkins wore a wig in this film.

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Goofs

During the fight between Willett Gashade and Billy Spear a hat on the ground behind them alternates between being upside down and right side up from shot to shot.

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Quotes

Coley Boyard: I don't give a curly hair, yellow bear, double dog damn if ya did!

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Connections

Referenced in Vintage Video: Forbidden Zone (2020)

User Reviews

Uncompromising Indie Western

The Shooting is an indie western that reflects Americans' feelings of dread and uncertainty following the assasinations of JFK, Bobby, Malcolm, and Martin. Man overwhelmed by his environment. This West is a lonely,cruel world primarily populated by poor, uneducated men struggling to survive. The style is minimalist in that we are given information, through images and words, with great restraint and economy. An intense experience that calls for sustained attention. Comments below:"no idea what it's about", "dialogue incomprehensible",wish "storyline could be followed easily"-indicate some may benefit from a proper sinopsis, which I have not found. Others should view film before reading further. Willet returns to his camp and finds dimwit Coley quite agitated.Coley states that Willet's brother Coin and partner Leland arrived drunk from Winslow. Coin had run over a man and a child and needed to flee.Leland stays behind and gets shot by an unknown assailant. Willet and Coley are approached by a woman(we had seen her shoot her horse for no obvious reason) who offers $1000 to be escorted to Kingsley but refuses to reveal her name.They travel toward Crosstree where Leland learns Coin bought a horse 2 days ago. They proceed through the desert. The woman shoots at random, Willet believes she is sending signals to someone following. Gunslinger Billy emerges from hiding and joins them. His relation to the woman is unclear.They encounter day-old horse tracks as Billy and Coley threaten each other. The woman's horse pulls lame. Billy threatens to shoot Coley if he doesn't stay behind, demands Willet's gun and reveals he killed Leland. Willet:"I have my reason for staying.There ain't gonna be no killing". They encounter a bearded man with a broken leg and his horse.We see Coley following on foot. He takes the bearded man's horse. Billy spots Coley approaching and goes after him. Coley aims at Billy who shoots Coley in the face. Willet buries him. Woman to Willet:"I know that feeling.I've carried the burden of it longer than you". The elements continue to take its toll on people and animals.The woman rides while the men follow on foot.Willet charges at Billy, tosses his gun away,beats him and crushes his hand with a rock. Willet follows the woman, now on foot, into a canyon. She spots Coin, who looks identical to Coley, and shoots. Coin returns fire as Willet comes behind the woman. All three are hit.Billy wanders aimlessly waiting to die. The film leaves plenty of questions open to interpretation. Why wouldn't the woman attempt to kill Willet if Coin looks just like him? Did her son(and husband?) survive being run over? Why is Billy involved? An existentialist view of man and his predicament permeates this uncompromising western. 9/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 1968 (France)

Also Known As:

The Epitaph

Filming Locations:

Kanab, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Proteus Films, Santa Clara Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Mono (Producers Sound Service)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1