The Shooting is a 1966 movie directed by Monte Hellman.
The Shooting tells the story of Willett Gashade, an ex-bounty hunter turned miner who is summoned by a mysterious woman to guide her across the desert. Along the way, they are joined by a gunslinger and the journey turns into a tracking expedition.
There is a simplicity to The Shooting that ultimately creates a unique aura of intrigue. Similar to Two Lane Blacktop, Hellman maximizes his low budget restraints to focus on the existential conditions surrounding his characters.
The result is a swirl of mystery that allows the viewers to offer their own context.
This can be both enlightening and madly frustrating.
Warren Oates plays Gashade, a miner who returns home to discover his brother has been shot dead, while the other has fled camp. He is accompanied by the young and simple Coley. Oates presents as a hardened, worn leader. He tells Coley “From now on, you’ll be dependent on me.”
Oates plays Gashade with his usual blend of enigmatic cache. He is expressive displaying both earnestness and cruelty. There are moments when you can deeply empathize with him and others where you suspect his past is filled with regretful actions.
He’s the quintessential Hellman actor – particularly playing against Millie Perkins’ unnamed character.
Perkins gives an extraordinary, haunting, dominating performance as the woman who hires Gashade. She establishes complete dominance with her cold, vague demands. When challenged, she’s remarkable at channeling raw emotion. Her character is accustomed to getting her way and easily manipulates Oates and Will Hitchens’ Coley.
Throughout their trek, she randomly fires her rifle – an action that Gashade thinks announces their position. When confronted, she bursts out: “You’re so stupid. I hate you. Stop touching me!” She cringes when either man approaches her and occasionally feigns sickness – her manipulation of the men is a potent weapon.
Nicholson emerges midway through the movie as an intense hired gunslinger. His Billy Spear immediately exhibits his power by drawing on Gashade and announcing: “I’m going to blow your face off.” He cruelly taunts the overmatched Coley: “Your brain’s going to fry out here – you know that?”
This is early Nicholson and you can sense the genesis of colossal Hollywood ego forming. He boasts a cocky edge but there’s a slimy vulnerability underneath – he’s trying on an ice cold demeanor yet his character is under the thumb of the mysterious woman.
The Shooting is Perkins’ movie. Her intrigue is the orbit of all characters’ actions. Even her small gestures change the momentum of the movie. The story shifts from a journey across the desert into a search for an unknown traveler. It’s never apparent what the woman is leading Gashade and Spear to and once they arrive, each are quickly discarded.
The ending is a swirl of mystery. Similar to Two Lane Blacktop, you could argue the final moments are an existential reckoning. Although, it also wouldn’t be difficult to suggest that Hellman painted himself into a corner. Either way, the audience is given the freedom to dream up their own resolution.
(My theory: the woman is pregnant and is searching for Gashade’s brother, Cohen).
Hellman does a terrific job framing the landscape for the movie’s journey. He captures the desert in its natural, ominous state. It’s an arid, unforgiving place that breaks down its visitors. Yet, there are a few moments in The Shooting that are gorgeous.
The BEST – Write Your Own Ending
It’s rare to find a Western that treats its audience with respect.
There’s no moral lesson to be found in The Shooting and its characters’ intentions are mostly ambiguous. We never know what the woman is seeking (we never even learn her name) and it’s never clear how the characters connect to each other.
The ending is entrusted to the viewer. It’s empowering to be given the respect to decide such an outcome. Had Hellman inserted a cliched closing, the entire dreamy build-up would have been wasted.
The BEST Part 2 – Jack’s Power Moves
Nicholson commands the screen. Within a few minutes of his debut, he’s drawing a gun and asserting his authority. He’s callous in his threats to the overmatched Coley and subtly takes his water. It’s fascinating to watch a young Nicholson learn to assert his dominance.
The BEST Part 3 – Warren Oates Minus Sam Peckinpah
Oates is a vastly underrated actor. His characters are strangely endearing – they collect empathy for their sad sack demeanor, yet it’s apparent there are demons lying in their psyches. You can relate to Oates’ characters in the Hellman movies – there is an everyman quality that collides with an unforgiving world.
It’s a departure from his Peckinpah roles – where’s he’s basically an unlikeable scumbag.
The WORST – Write Your Own Ending
The same qualities that make The Shooting a fun existential experiment are the ones that frustrate.
You cannot fully immerse yourself into establishing a working explanation for the movie’s ending simply because the evidence is lacking. There are not enough clues to support a rational argument. We never learn anything about these characters during the journey and the ending only reinforces this.
FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – 4/5
Like Two Lane Blacktop, this is a difficult movie to fully appreciate. Hellman creates an existential, dreamy quality and maximizes a limited set of resources. The acting is tremendous, as Perkins outshines Oates and Nicholson. It’s a movie that challenges you but it’s worth the experience.
