Movie Review: The Shooting (1966) directed by Monte Hellman
Former bounty hunter turned miner Willett Gashade (Warren Oates) returns to his diggings somewhere in Utah to discover that his partner Leland has been shot dead, his brother Coigne is missing, and the less than bright Coley (Will Hutchins) doesn’t understand why this happened or who did what, though Coigne may have killed a little person in town. A mysterious woman (Milly Perkins) comes into the camp and hires Willet to guide her to a distant town. She’s clearly lying about some things and hiding others, like her name.
Over the course of their journey, it becomes apparent that they’re actually tracking a man riding in roughly the same direction. It’s also obvious they are being followed. About halfway through the story, the follower is revealed to be Billy Spear (Jack Nicholson), a gunslinger also hired by the woman for unspoken reasons.
The four continue into the desert as the water runs short and the horses die. But what will they find at the end of the chase?
This movie was made relatively early in Nicholson’s career, but after he’d made enough money that he could co-produce (Roger Corman was the executive producer.) It did well on the film festival circuit, but never got a theatrical release, so eventually wound up sold to television.
Good: Mr. Hellman decided to start the movie several pages into the original script, cutting out unnecessary exposition. (Mr. Corman insisted on having just a little exposition put back in so the trippy ending didn’t come out of nowhere.) He also went with a minimum of makeup, which gives the actors a more gritty, “natural” look. (According to interviews, Ms. Perkins was not well pleased with some of the less flattering shots.) Both Oates and Nicholson inhabit their roles well. Nice scenery
Less good: This is not a movie for people who like things explained. The woman’s name, her actual reason for the chase, anyone’s backstory beyond “used to be a bounty hunter”? You’ll not be finding any of that. Some of the dialogue is kind of off, as though the writer (Carole Eastman) had wanted to write it in poetry.
Content note: Gun violence (bloodless), several horses die, and a bird is killed out of orneriness (very symbolic.)
Overall: This one feels experimental and stripped down. As a result, it’s more interesting than good. Those looking for a fun Western should skip this; it’s really more for the film festival crowd.
