The Shooting (film)
| The Shooting | |
|---|---|
Film poster created by Jack H. Harris Inc.
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| Directed by | Monte Hellman |
| Produced by |
Jack Nicholson Monte Hellman |
| Written by | Carole Eastman (writing as "Adrien Joyce") |
| Starring |
Warren Oates Millie Perkins Will Hutchins Jack Nicholson |
| Music by | Richard Markowitz |
| Cinematography | Gregory Sandor |
| Distributed by | Walter Reade Organization |
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Release date
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Running time
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82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $75,000 |
The Shooting is a 1966 western film directed by Monte Hellman, with a screenplay by Carole Eastman (using the pseudonym "Adrien Joyce"). It stars Warren Oates, Millie Perkins, Will Hutchins, and Jack Nicholson, and was produced by Nicholson and Hellman. The story is about two men who are hired by a mysterious woman to accompany her to a town located many miles across the desert. During their journey, they are closely tracked by a black-clad gunslinger who seems intent on killing all of them.
The film was shot in 1965 in the Utah desert, back-to-back with Hellman's similar western, Ride in the Whirlwind, which also starred Nicholson. Both films were shown at several international film festivals but it was not until 1968 that the U.S. distribution rights were purchased by the Walter Reade Organization. No other domestic distributor had expressed any interest in the films. Walter Reade decided to bypass a theatrical release, and the two titles were sold directly to television.
Willet Gashade (Oates), a former bounty hunter, returns to his small mining camp after a lengthy absence and finds his slow-witted friend Coley (Will Hutchins) in a state of fear. Coley explains to Gashade that their partner, Leland Drum (B. J. Merholz), had been shot to death two days before by an unseen assassin. The killing was possibly committed in revenge for the accidental trampling death of "a little person" in town, which may have been caused by Gashade's brother, Coin. Coin had inexplicably rushed away from their camp moments before the shooting death. Gashade and Coley become increasingly paranoid, and Gashade takes his friend's gun away from him.
The following day, a young woman (Perkins) shoots her horse to death immediately outside of the camp. The sound of the gunshot temporarily sends the frightened Coley into hiding. Gashade examines the dead horse and notes that it appeared to be perfectly healthy. The woman offers Gashade a thousand dollars to lead her to a place called Kingsley. Although openly distrustful of her, he grudgingly accepts the offer. Coley, apparently smitten by the woman, accompanies them.
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