Shoot Out (1971) User Reviews

Ever hear of a Switzer, name of William Tell?

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 2 February 2012]

Shoot Out is directed by Henry Hathaway and adapted to the screen by Marguerite Roberts from the novel The Lone Cowboy by Will James. It stars Gregory Peck, Patricia Quinn, Robert F. Lyons, Susan Tyrrell and Dawn Lyn. Music is by Dave Grusin and cinematography by Earl Rath. Plot has Peck playing Clay Lomax, who is out of prison after 7 years and seeking revenge on the partner who shot him in the back during a robbery. But Lomax soon finds he has company in the young child form of Decky Ortega (Lyn), who has been sent to him by his one time lover Teresa, sadly now deceased.

Just do your little chore, punk.

It took a whack from critics of the day, and even now it only seems to have a handful of fans prepared to stand up and say they enjoy it very much. Shoot Out is not a great film, well actually the location work is certainly great, but it is a very rich and warm Western. The problems are hard to argue against, Peck is not adept at playing a vengeful bastard in his later years, the villains are of the near cackling pantomime kind, and a number of cheap money saving tactics are employed by an on the wane Hathaway. Yet the action hits the right notes, Peck's unfolding relationship with the adorable Lyn is heart warming, and the elder female characters-put upon prostitute desperately seeking a way out (Tyrrell)/plain Jane homemaker who drinks to forget her unfulfilled lot (Quinn)-are afforded intelligence in the writing. While some of the location photography, in Technicolor, is gorgeous as Earl Rath gets excellent value out of the New Mexico and California landscapes. And hey! There's even a cameo by the always awesome Arthur Hunnicutt.

I'm giving it a generous 7/10 because it's not deserving of the scorn poured on it elsewhere. If only for the central father/daughter relationship, the scenery and a neat flip-flop pay back scenario, this is recommended to Peck and Western fans. Just don't expect True Grit like some apparently did!

Worth Watching Just for Susan Tyrrell's Performance

[aimless-46 · 6/10 · 31 October 2004]

I saw Shoot Out when it was first released and just watched it again a few days ago. It works best if you consider it as a sequel to "The Gunfighter" (1950), what would have happened to Peck's Johnny Ringo character had he survived and left his town rather than remain there with his wife and son.

Although the negative comments that have been posted are generally accurate, the film has several elements that make it worth watching. Imagine combining 'To Kill a Mockingbird' with 'One-Eyed Jacks' and you will have a pretty good idea of what this story is all about. Unfortunately Gregory Peck did not put Aticus Finch energy into the Clay Lomax character, and even though Dawn Lyn (Dodie from 'My Three Sons') is fine as the little girl-the idea just doesn't work. There is at least one story too many in this movie and it would take a great script to pull it together. But as someone has already mentioned this is not a great script and there are 1970's dialogue issues that periodically jar the viewer back to reality, making it impossible for this thing to ever really get going.

On the plus side Robert Lyons gives a nice 'really out there' performance as the wacko bad guy. Lyons was that era's Gary Oldham. Also the production designer did a good job on the overall feel of the film, there several absolutely great visuals (check out the shot of Dawn Lyn standing on the train station platform), and there is a very original non-formula climax. The production has excellent overall unity and someone really paid attention to continuity issues (watch how the progress of the water dripping on the cabin table is matched to the time sequence of the scene).

What stayed with me through the years and motivated me to watch this again was the first film performance of Susan Tyrrell, as the dumb but plucky saloon girl. She actually deserved a supporting actress nomination. Then she played dumb and plucky again in 'Fat City' and actually received a Supporting Actress Nomination. At the time I was convinced that she would be the next big female star. There was a young actress talent vacuum in the 1969-78 period and hack blonds like Candice Bergen and Cybill Sheppard got a lot of work-with very painful to watch results. That many of their parts did not go to Tyrell and to Elizabeth Hartman is an example of the Hollywood anti-meritocracy. So check out her performances and curse Hollywood for not recognizing her potential and giving her a lot more work.

Even a gunman has a conscience.

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 26 September 2007]

Director Henry Hathaway gets the most of his actors in this cowboy drama. After seven years in prison, ex-convict and aging gunfighter Clay Lomax(Gregory Peck)sets out on the trail with revenge on his mind. Lomax is in search of former partner turned adversary, Bobby Jay Jones(Robert F. Lyons). Bobby and his saddle pals seem to be out looking for fun...Lomax is looking for blood. Lomax may be a hardened man, but he shows his soft side when he becomes burdened with taking care of a cute young orphan girl named Decky(Dawn Lyn). Lyn seems to steal the movie with the banter between her and Peck. Another scene stealer is Susan Tyrell, who plays Alma the quirky ride-a-long with Bobby's gang. Others in the cast: Patricia Quinn, James Gregory, Rita Gam and John Davis Chandler. Not among the best westerns, but very worth while.

Much better than the comments would indicate

[dphelan-1 · 8 June 2005]

I watched this as part of a cheap DVD set I bought at the supermarket for $6.99. It also included an Audie Murphy film, a Dale Robertson film and a Guy Madison film. All were westerns from the late 40's to early 70's. I really liked Shoot Out. I think that comparing it to True Grit because of some commonalities of cast/crew/producer and ( vaguely) theme is unfair. The relationship between John Wayne and Kim Darby was very different than the growing affection and dependence between Dawn Lyn's delightful Decky and Peck's tough but tender Clay. The way Peck and Lyn become father and daughter whether they actually were or not is touching. I like the way the little girl is very self-sufficient at one moment and kind of lost the next. And she seemed like a kid in many ways too; not a miniature adult. In addition, Robert F. Lyons was terrific as the psycho villain. He was cocky, stupid, pathetic, cruel, greedy and just mean. The ending where the tables are turned on him is brilliant and inventive and probably not what viewers expected. I also like Peck's final line after the final " shoot out" - " Fetch the law" Funny and brilliant.

typical western fare

[bmkaburl · 7/10 · 5 January 2012]

Is this a classic? Well no, but it isn't terrible either. People who love westerns and the west will enjoy this film. Is this Peck's greatest film? No, but Peck being one of the best actors ever to come out of Hollywood never gave a bad performance. This film also co-stars the great character actor James Gregory who also never gave a bad performance. Veteran character actors Paul Fix and Arthur Honnicutt have small roles but give their usual fine performances. These performances makeup for some of the other poor acting by supporting players. This film has beautiful scenery, lots of action and an unusual story line. What more needs to be said? Enjoy!

Surprisingly good western

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 8 August 2017]

Ten years after Gregory Peck played America's ideal father in To Kill a Mockingbird, he thought it would be funny to take a role in which he inherits a little girl and doesn't know how to handle her. Well, I'm not sure if that's why he made Shoot Out, but it's pretty adorable to watch him as he adjusts with his new parenthood. The scenes he shares with Dawn Lyn are the best parts of the movie. He even affectionately calls her "Scout" during one scene—too cute!

Robert F. Lyons plays a despicable bad guy, and while I understand why he had to be written that way, whenever he was on the screen, I was actually physically uncomfortable until the scene changed. After a while, I stopped cringing, put my trust in Gregory Peck, the just-released convict who's out for revenge, and let the chips fall where they may. The bad guys won't really get him, will they?

You'll have to watch it to find out, and if you like westerns, I recommend you do. The father-daughter scenes are really cute, and there's a bit of romantic tension with Patricia Quinn to spice things up for Greg, who's a little worn around the edges but still looks good in a cowboy hat. And while there's a very evil villain, his scenes do keep you on the edge of your seat. I wasn't expecting to like Shoot Out as much as I did, so give it a try and see if you like it, too!

This isn't great, but it's entertaining.

[johnboy1 · 7/10 · 11 March 2005]

I admit that it's not the best western ever made, by a long shot, but it's worth watching just for the fine performance of Robert F. Lyons. He should have won an Oscar nomination for "Pendulum", and his performance here is almost as good. He made a chilling bad guy in both films.

Anyone ever notice that he wore the same shirt in this film that Roddy McDowall wore in "Five Card Stud" (which was made by Hathaway and Wallis)? Too bad they didn't have Lyons play the same role in that classic. McDowall did his best, but he couldn't match Lyons portraying a bad guy cowboy.....too British.

Say what you will. I like this one.

A Movie "Out of Time"

[Bob-45 · 7/10 · 22 June 2006]

"Shoot Out" is finely crafted, if old fashioned western, which deserves more respect than it gets. Released in 1971, following an era of Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpaugh, "Shoot Out" "Shoot Out" tries to have it both ways. That is, adding violence and sex to what is essentially a "family film." One character is shot repeatedly and I'm sure I clearly saw Susan Tyrell's bare breast at a distance, when she's laying on a bed. In other words, "Shoot Out" is the artistic equivalent of adding tail fins to Mustang. Worse, "Shoot Out" is a victim of television. Television killed out modest musicals and "singing cowboy" westerns in the 50s. By the mid to late sixties, TV westerns were in color, had fine production values and ran as long as 90 minutes, excluding commercials. Worse, the public had grown weary, due to the glut of TV westerns. Roughly, a hundred or more TV western series ran on the airwaves between 1955 and 1971. Just as with musicals, only offbeat or lavish westerns appealed to the movie going public. Finally, Universal appeared, at least, to be mostly interested in producing "B movie" programmers to supplement their theatrical movie inventory, as they were the primary supplier of the NBC prime time movies. As a result, few Universal westerns were made in widescreen (letterbox) format by the "Shoot Out" was released. So, production value wise, "Shoot Out" is barely distinguishable from a TV western.

Peck is OK in "Shoot Out." However, his role could have been played as well or better by most of his contemporaries; Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin, Richard Widmark, Robert Mitchum or James Stewart would have been just as good. Henry Fonda, Kirk Douglas or John Wayne would have been even better. However, even these aging stars had difficulty selling their own westerns during this era. "Shoot Out" may not be a great western, but it certainly better than "The Train Robbers," "Cahill: US Marshall" or "Rooster Cogburn," three made by John Wayne during this time period. However, for those who don't think Peck can play menacing, watch "Spellbound," "Dual in the Sun," "The Boys From Brazil," or, especially, "I Walk The Line." Peck becomes downright chilling in his obsession for Tuesday Weld. Here, he's closer to his role in "To Kill a Mockingbird," and it's inappropriate. Standout performances in "Shoot Out" include Robert F. Lyons, Susan Tyrell and Dawn Lyn. VARIETY criticized Lyons as being unintentionally funny as Bobby Jay, but that was the point. Unlike the sadistic villains of Leone and Peckinpaugh, Bobby Jay is a "child man," the kind of psycho played by Robert Evans in "Fiend That Walked the West," and, to some lesser extent, Gregory Peck played in "Duel in the Sun." Like a school bully, Bobby Jay didn't see his actions as cruel. It wasn't that he enjoyed inflicting pain; as is with most psychopaths, Bobby Jay simply didn't see his victims as human. In many ways, that made Bobby Jay more dangerous than a sadist. Interestingly, Gregory Peck played similar role in "Duel in the Sun". Susan Tyrell is amazing as Alma; a "child woman," Alma related to her exploitation as a little girl playing doctor with three little boys. Thus, Alma was the perfect counterpoint to both Bobby Jay and Decky. In fact, Susan Tyrell and Dawn Lyn look so much alike,Alma could be Decky as an adult. Dawn Lyn does a fine job with a very difficult role, as Decky. Decky is, alternately, a sweet eight year old and a foul mouthed midget, reflecting her upbringing by a prostitute mother. It's apparent Decky will grow up to be Alma if she doesn't get the kind of parental support. As Emma, Peck's love interest, usually fine actress Rita Gam disappoints. Her flat line readings seem "phoned in" and she lacks chemistry with Peck. Worse, director Henry Hathaway fails to cover for this lack of chemistry with tight closeups, which would have helped immensely.

WARNING: SPOILERS

Some have characterized Peck as "stupid" for not killing Bobby Jay and his partners when he had the drop on them at their campsite. Well, let's see, what do you think the law would have done to Peck had he killed these three men in cold blood in front of two witnesses, Alma and Decky? Even if all three had been "Wanted: Dead or Alive," would Peck have been wise to do so? Peck might have been injured in a shoot out, and he had a eight year old to protect. Sure, Peck should not have left the guns by the window, when he arrived at Emma's. Certainly, he should have unloaded them. However, people make similar errors in judgment all the time, and Peck could not have anticipated Emma coming on to him.

Given that Peck and Lyons are dopplegangers (two sides of the same character), producer Hal Wallis would have been better served by using the money he spent for the unnecessary holdup flashback to purchase the "skinny dipping" scene from "Duel in the Sun." With a little careful picture and sound editing, he could have passed off Jennifer Jones as Decky's mother and shown Peck in, arguably his best performance, as a playful psychotic. Inserting this flashback immediatlely following the scene of Peck bathing Decky would have worked beautifully, and better established Peck's character and unruly past.

END OF SPOILERS

Even given it's weaknesses, "Shoot Out" is worth a view. I give it a "7".

Gunplay and revenge along with a fraternal story , it stars the great Gregory Peck

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 27 February 2007]

This film from a novel titled ¨The last cowboys¨ and adapted by Marguerite Roberts (True grit) deals with Clay Lomax (Gregory Peck) , he leaves the prison and seeking vengeance of his former partner named Foley (James Gregory) who double-crossed him . He carries the revenge in his heart after suffering the treason . He embarks on his vendetta and during his quest he gets stuck an eight-year-old little girl . Meanwhile , Foley contracts a young gunfighter (a violent , savage Robert F. Lions) who along with other gunmen (Pepe Serna and John Davis Chandler) abduct a prostitute (Susan Tyrell) and after that , they go out in pursuit Lomax .

An average Western revenge story plenty of violence , action and shoot'em up ; though the veteran director Hathaway is uninspired and the ending is pretty predictable . The film relies heavily on the continuous relationship between the tiring gunslinger and the orphaned girl . The picture is well played by Gregory Peck in one of his last Westerns (he starred ¨McKenna gold¨ , ¨Big country¨ , ¨Stalking moon¨ , ¨The gunfighter¨). The movie displays a wide plethora of secondary actors usually seen in Western genre : Jeff Corey (True grit) as an old brawler in wheelchair , the usual Arthur Hunnicutt (El Dorado), Paul Fix , Rita Gam (Tomahawk) , Willis Bouchey's last film and the habitual cocky nasty named John Davis Chandler . Evocative and imaginative musical score by Dave Grusin . The motion picture was regularly directed by Henry Hathaway in his last film along with ¨Raid on Rommel¨ , both made in 1971 . Hathaway hired Ben Johnson for the lead role but he turned it down . Henry was an excellent filmmaker who directed several classic Westerns , such as ¨True grit¨ , ¨Sons of Katie Elder¨ , ¨Nevada Smith¨ ,¨Rawhide¨ , ¨How the west was won¨ (also with Gregory Peck) , among others . The film will appeal to Gregory Peck fans.

Entertaining Low Budget 1970s Western Featuring Several Female Characters

[verbusen · 7/10 · 25 November 2019]

I caught this on the Starz Western network and stopped it half way in thinking my wife would enjoy watching this western, which she really did. It stands out as having an A list star in Peck in a film that seems to be breaking barriers for 1971 as far as female character portrayal in the Old West as well as their illegitimate children. The film has a lot of detailed characters in it, not just for the two male leads but also for those associating with them such as the prostitute women in their lives and a young female child. If you don't like extended young children in films you will not enjoy this film, but I was heartbroken by her tale of hard life and being virtually abandoned to her own devices at age 6. The "they killed my cat" line really tugged at me; she clearly was an abused kid. Likewise, Susan Tyrrell young kidnapped and abused prostitute has equally had an awful life. These two female characters make this film for me (and my wife) above the norm. I thought Tyrell would eventually join with Peck's character and adopt the girl but that is where the film strays and the only part I didn't like because she is treated like dirt not only by the bad guys but also by the screen writers. I guess her character was too tainted to be redeemed? After watching Tyrell, I was interested in seeing er other films and see that she was in more films of a hard life character in films, even by notorious director John Waters. Reading her bio, I think all of these outrageous roles she was in, especially in her youth made her an unhappy person in real life, which is sad. That said, I really enjoyed her role in Shootout. When considering this film, I take into account how interested my wife was, probably more so then most Westerns we have watched together. The bad guy Bobby Ray is wicked through and through and my wife relished his ending. With that in mind it may be best to watch this with your girlfriend, spouse or significant other. It's not a masterpiece (didn't that one town have a sheriff?) but because of its detailed character development I enjoyed Shootout as a great Western to watch with a date. 7 out of 10.

You Can't Get Good Help

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 8 July 2007]

Shoot Out for all intents and purposes was the last film that Henry Hathaway directed. He did do one more, but from what I'm able to gather very few ever saw it. It's also not a great western for Gregory Peck who in his day has given us classics like The Gunfighter, The Big Country, and The Bravados.

Gregory Peck plays a man just out of prison who's looking for his partner from a bank robbery who shot him and took all the loot. Peck's got an understandable mission. But he's also been saddled with another situation. Some wild oats he sowed in the person of little Dawn Lyn arrived by train, a present from her late mother.

In the meantime ex-partner James Gregory is now a prosperous rancher, but he can't get any decent help. He hires three punks, Robert F. Lyons, John Davis Chandler, and Pepe Serna to locate Peck and merely keep him informed of his movements. These three are not only punks, but extremely dim bulbs. I can hardly believe Gregory can't do better than these.

How Peck deals with both situations is the balance of the film. A lot of the plot scenario has not been well thought out in Shoot Out. The cast struggles, but their hearts are clearly not in it.

Best in the cast is Susan Tyrell who plays a prostitute who takes up with the three punks. She's a 19th century version of a Valley Girl and she pays big time for her stupidity and very bad taste in men.

Definitely not one of the better films for Henry Hathaway and Gregory Peck. And to think two years earlier, Hathaway and screenwriter Marguerite Roberts were responsible for True Grit.

Great Cowboy movie of the old style

[kenneth_sutphin · 8/10 · 26 April 2006]

Lots of action but the same old plot of good, but not too good versus bad, pretty bad. No gratuitous sex and violence in the old style with no gore. Interesting story line of old grudges and the new breed of cowboys learning lessons from the older guys. Gregory Peck is outstanding and out shines the rest of the cast but the bartender, Trooper, does his own shining. Bobby J is the meanest of the bunch but Sam Foley has his own secrets and he does an excellent job. This is one of those you enjoy seeing every few months. This is a tough guy movie about tough guys but one with a heart. It does have a few unexpected turns and twist, especially the kid, and there are several turn of events that keep it interesting with out all the technical tricks of todays fare of flicks.

Nice Western with Gregory Peck.

[headhunter46 · 7/10 · 3 December 2020]

I always liked Gregory Peck, so when I came across this I just had to watch it. I think he did as well with the plot as he could.

The bad guy, bobby jay jones was played well by robert lyons in that he was truly brutal and undisciplined, a wild child and I'm sure were several like him in the old west. He was dangerous and unpredictable except that you knew he was capable of violence and evil.Gregory Peck did his best to deal with him and his band of idiots. I'm sure there were guys like them too in the old west, lame brains who needed someone to direct them even though they sometimes resented being bossed around. If they really didn't like it they had several chances to disappear and make a life of their own, but they evidently didn't know how to do that.

Our main character is a man being released from prison. It turns out he and a partner robbed a bank but he is the only one caught. Later we learn why he is dead set on finding the partner who he never named. Along the way, he receives a "package" off the train. He was expecting something other than a 7 year old girl who he has to decide how to deal with. Her presence brings complications and some rather nice plot twists.

I think most fans of Peck will enjoy this movie. The spunky little girl adds some humor and a nice touch to the film.

Not one of Greg's best

[tsgallag · 5/10 · 26 June 2006]

This film barely held my interest, mainly because it was fun identifying the same locations where "True Grit" scenes were filmed. The most glaring was the spot where Gregory Peck and the girl camped before he got the drop on the three outlaws. That was the same place where John Wayne, et al. raided the shack where Moon and Quincy were waiting for Lucky Ned Pepper. It even looked like the same camera angle for the initial shot. Could have been cribbed from "True Grit", who knows? Other than playing "what happened on this spot in "True Grit", there wasn't much else to recommend this film. Gregory Peck looked like he was sleepwalking, and Dawn Lyn as the little girl was annoying, at best. The music was awful - it was like something out of a TV western, or even a crime show. One plus was the performance of John Davis Chandler (credited as John Chandler here), playing yet another whiny, heavy lidded heavy. He wasn't given much to do, unfortunately, since most of the bad guy attention went to Robert F. Lyons. Not worth a second look, IMHO.

Decent Peck

[Michael_Elliott · 28 February 2008]

Shoot Out (1971)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Western from the same producer, screenwriter and director of True Grit has Gregory Peck being released from prison after seven years and heading off to kill the man who shot him in the back during a bank robbery. Before he can carry out his plan he has an unexpected gift of a six year old girl who starts to have an effect on the old cowboy. This isn't really a good film but it's a slight entertainment that features some good action and a fine performance from Peck. I wouldn't say this was an A+ Peck performance but he manages to keep the film moving even though the supporting cast doesn't offer him much. The little girl at times can be annoying but that happens sometimes. I think the biggest problem for the film is that we've seen this story countless times before and this one here doesn't offer anything new and even in the end the film goes off on different story lines than what he set out to be.

Nature Against Man

[boblipton · 6/10 · 16 August 2019]

Gregory Peck has just gotten out of prison and is traveling, looking for something or some one. Meanwhile, James Gregory sends vicious, stupid gun man Robert Lyons to trail him and report back, but not kill him under any circumstances. Meanwhile, Peck gets notice to pick up up a package, which turns out to be a little girl whom he believes is his daughter.

It plays with the western themes of the beauties of nature versus the ugliness of people and their actions. Cinematographer Earl Rath (whose IMDb entry is in awful shape as to credits, and who seems to be alive at the age of 117 as I write this; other sources indicate he was teaching at USC at least as recently as 2002) shoots the mountain country of New Mexico as it fades from fall to winter in a bright, soft light. Henry Hathaway, long a specialist in A Westerns offers a violent, stupid west, where the only defense against evil is a bank robber. Even if it's Gregory "Atticus Finch" Peck, I'm not sure how I feel about that.

"I just wanted to see if there's any of my blood still on the sidewalk."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 17 October 2005]

"Shootout" begins with an unbelievable scene; when Clay Lomax (Gregory Peck) is released from prison, he's allowed to strap on a loaded gun directly in front of the prison warden. Seems like a more vindictive ex-con could have done some damage.

Shortly after, with his mind set on revenge against the partner that double crossed him in a hold up seven years earlier, Lomax inherits young Decky (Dawn Lyn) from a former flame who died en route delivering him a message. There's not much doubt as to the identity of Decky's father, with subtle but numerous references along the way to establish the relationship, not the least of which is the young girl's age as about to be seven. Decky's a precocious and street smart (trail smart?) young lady, and there's a humorous scene where she initiates a sweet con for a saddle pony that Lomax picks up in stride.

The drama is provided by the three lunatic ranch hands of Lomax' quarry, Sam Foley (James Gregory). Their job is simply to follow Lomax and report back to Foley on his progress, and they manage to screw that up pretty badly. The nominal leader of this trio of misfits is Bobby Jay, played way over the top by Robert F. Lyons in a manner that you really want to see him get his, the sooner the better. When Bobby initiates a game of William Tell with Lomax and a prairie family as hostage, it sets up the return favor of Lomax dealing with him in exactly the same way when the tables turn at the Foley ranch.

"Shootout" is somewhat less than a satisfying Western given it's principal star. Gregory Peck's performance appears tired at times, though there are some good moments with his young charge. The confrontation set up by the story line never occurs, as wacko Bobby takes Foley out in a moment of greed. The showdown between Lomax and Bobby is cleverly done, though the conclusion is never in doubt. But can anyone explain why the housekeeper, given the circumstances, didn't just faint dead away?

Looks great, but is only OK

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 28 February 2016]

Having served his sentence, bank robber Clay Lomax goes searching for the partner who shot him and left him to take the blame. He soon falls foul of three thugs who work for the now respectable rancher, following which he has a 6-year old girl landed on him by an ex-girlfriend, the girl's mother, who has died: the child may be his daughter.

This 1970 western, made by the director and production team who had made John Wayne's True Grit, turned up on TV. I had never heard of it, so was interested to watch it. It had much of the look of True Grit, filmed on similar locations at the same time of year, and benefited from an unusual story blending together the quest for revenge with the unwitting and unwilling childcare element. This did rather place something of a strain on Clay's character, however - the mellowing as a decent and moral father figure didn't sit easily with the ex-jailbird bank robber bent on revenge. But Gregory Peck managed to embrace both aspects fairly well. Dawn Lyn as the child did well, and was considerably less annoying that Kim Darby was in True Grit a year earlier. Unfortunately, Robert F Lyons as chief psycho thug strayed heavily down the road to pantomime villainy and, at times, appeared to be channelling Jack Nicholson from several of his more histrionic early roles.

This was an interesting, if not entirely successful, western.

Not much of a shoot out, but....

[byron-116 · 6/10 · 13 February 2020]

Love the little girl who loves horses.. Oh yes, there's some bang bang action too. It's Pretty good overall

It's too bad this movie couldn't have been slightly reworked,...

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 31 January 2006]

The overall plot and suspense elements of this movie are excellent and deserved far better treatment. There really was a fine movie underneath it all, but it was sunk to mediocrity due to three factors:

1. The child actress is awfully annoying. No, wait,...she was #@&%$# annoying!! Not only couldn't she act convincingly in many scenes, but the writers couldn't decide whether to make her adorable or a filthy-mouthed cretin. I think they achieved the latter more than the former, dang-#%#&$!!.

2. Several times, Gregory Peck got the draw on the bad guys (i.e., captured them and could have shot them). The first time he let them go made little sense. But the second time, he KNEW they were murderers and yet after disarming them he let them go! DUH!!! I HATE to see supposedly smart characters do dumb things that no real person would do.

3. The prostitute who was kidnapped and manhandled throughout the movie by the bad guys was pretty annoying--in particular her voice. She sounded for all the world like June Foray--the voice of Rocky Squirrel from the Bullwinkle Show. I can't believe that one of the IMDb comments praised her acting and felt she was a star on the rise.

BUT, despite these big problems, the final half of the movie was pretty rousing and kept the tension going. In particular, the ending was excellent. Too bad the unevenness really spoiled the overall effort. Gregory Peck deserved better material.

Good movie but bad supporting actors

[jkm0119 · 6/10 · 26 March 2017]

I have read the other reviews that talk about the director and the the similarities to other movies which are idiotic comparisons. This in no way resembles True Grit. The story line is different. The supporting actors were the worse actors I have ever seen and belong in movies that are below the B movie rating. Why they scream at each other when standing next to each other is idiotic. The ending was good but you had to go through a lot to finally get to the end. There were too many gaps of things that happened. It is a feel good movie if you like to see the villain die in the end.

A Bastard Stink-Pot Western

[inspectors71 · 4/10 · 20 April 2016]

Henry Hathaway, a man who knew how to shoot scenery, apparently forgot how to make a decent movie with 1971's Shoot Out. This quickie flick, destined for the NBC Saturday Night Movie about 10 minutes after its theatrical run, has Gregory Peck being peckish, about a minute of James Gregory being the baddie that double-crossed Peck, Robert F. Lyons as the psycho gunslinger hired by Gregory, and 7-year-old Dawn Lyn as the cutesy, foul-mouthed little 'un dumped on Peck when he gets released from prison for a robbery gone sideways.

You also get the startle of seeing a hooker's slobber-covered boobs in the saloon's back room.

And this thing got a GP?

Hathaway's talent for lovely landscapes is lost on the viewer trying to translate the grammar-challenged westernese that spills out of everyone's mouth and with the grimacing from the scenery-chewing bad-guy behavior that would make anyone long for the quiet rationality of Richard Widmark's sociopath in Kiss of Death or the social responsibility of Andy Robinson in Dirty Harry.

Just to show you how stolid Peck got toward the end of his big-star career, he gets the chance to have a heart-to-heart with a farm widow (a pretty, curvy actress named Patricia Quinn), and when she opens up to him about how lonely she is, how she drinks herself to sleep every night pining away for a man in bed, Peck doesn't kiss her or make goo-goo eyes at her, he grasps her head, and I thought, "My God, he's gonna check her teeth!"

It's amazing how snarky one can get when watching a bastard stink- pot western.

A sweet surprise

[espumoso55-1 · 8/10 · 3 December 2010]

I have recently watched this movie. I didn't expect so much according to previous readings about the movie. Right on the contrary, it is one of the best westerns I have ever seen. Evil is shown in a raw way. The acting is great, outstanding the acting of Robert F. Lyons as psycho villain. The whole sequence at the house of the alcoholic mother with a son is full of suspense and thrill. The movie is unpredictable, giving surprises about what will happen next; it deceived me twice at least. I recommend to watch it to anyone who loves good western and good movies in general. It shows a great deal of cruelty and fair revenge. Yet it is not perfect. Some characters, like Pepe, are too stupid or naive, somewhat overacted; I think that some more realism could've been given to this role. The sequence among the horses in the meadow is a real good moment, with excellent photograph and movement.

SHOOTOUT (Henry Hathaway, 1971) **

[Bunuel1976 · 5/10 · 10 July 2007]

This is a disappointing follow-up to the same writer-producer-director team who made TRUE GRIT (1969) – here tackling another Western with child interest, but replacing John Wayne with Gregory Peck. Not a genre stalwart like The Duke, perhaps, but he did manage some 12 appearances in Westerns between 1946 and 1989 – sometimes to striking effect as in DUEL IN THE SUN (1946), THE GUNFIGHTER (1950) and THE BIG COUNTRY (1958).

Anyway, the film is a standard revenge tale which starts with Peck being released from a 7-year prison sentence (caught after he was shot by his own partner, James Gregory, as they were fleeing the scene of a bank robbery); on his way to town, he is told to pick up something from an arriving train – which turns out to be a little girl, the daughter of an old flame of his who has since passed away! The relationship between weathered cowboy Peck and the cute yet spirited girl is nicely handled; this, however, serves to render the star’s character mellow as opposed to mean – and, consequently, diverts attention from the central plot (which sees Gregory hiring a trio of brash young gunman to follow Peck’s movements).

The cast is divided between old pros and new talent – the former including Jeff Corey (as a crippled bartender brutally murdered by the reckless gang) and Paul Fix, and the latter, Pat Quinn (from Arthur Penn’s ALICE’S RESTAURANT [1969] – as a widow who shelters Peck and the girl, but falls foul of his pursuers) and Susan Tyrell (soon to be Oscar-nominated for John Huston’s FAT CITY [1972] – as a prostitute who tags along with the villains). As a sign of the times, too, the film features mild instances of nudity and foul language. Perhaps the best thing about it is the fine score by Dave Grusin; while certainly harmless and commendably brief (running only a little over 90 minutes), there’s more talk than action here – the film’s title notwithstanding – and it doesn’t even rise to the expected climax!

I had missed out on the film countless times on Italian TV over the years (the same goes for Peck’s next Western, BILLY TWO HATS [1974]); this viewing, in fact, came via a dubbed pan-and-scan version (but, frankly, it’s not worth fretting over the lack of original language and correct aspect ratio where minor stuff such as SHOOTOUT is concerned)!

Gregory Peck as a psycho

[Pookie-10 · 20 December 2002]

Well, I finally got around to finish watching my DVD of Hathaways shoot-out. Ok, well another True Grit it ain't. In fact I've come to feel True Grit was something of a fluke after seeing this, how could the same talent (writer, director, producer) go from THAT to THIS? This could very well have been just another so-so episode of Gunsmoke of the early 70's. I don't care how much Greg Peck tries, that guy just CANNOT be intimidating. They should have had him muttering lines like "I'll fu*%ing kill you putrid fish-eatin' son of a Bi*%"! That would have at least been 'real' cussing not just an occasional "damnit". And they should have teamed him up with Jimmy Stewart--also trying to be psycho. Stewart: "yea--n-now you just do what my partner says, or I'll fu*&ing kill you!!" All in all I'd have to say I found Shoot Out rather amsuing though, that counts for something