The Shooting [DVD]

The cult director Monte Hellman only directed a handful of offbeat, inventive films. Half of these films were made in a schedule of less than two weeks with a low budget of less than 100,000 dollars. Strange that he did not make more. In recent years he has had exhibitions of his still photography. Amongst this small canon of work are two interesting Westerns which were made back to back, and both starred a youthful looking Jack Nicholson. "The Shooting" and "Ride in the Whirlwind" were both made for Roger Corman, who was himself a director of Westerns in the fifties.

The film concerns a bounty hunter played by Warren Oates who helps a mysterious woman on a journey through the desert. They are joined by a ruthless hired gun played by Jack Nicholson, who seemed to be rehearsing for his later role in "The Departed". They end up pursuing an unseen quarry with whom the woman wishes to conclude some murderous business. I will not be giving too much away by saying that we end with a shooting.

This film has been described as an existential Western which is a phrase I have had to look up in the dictionary. It turns out to be a philosophy stressing the importance of responsibility and the free agency of an individual in a seemingly meaningless universe. Personally I prefer a God to believe in any day, and I am still unsure as to where the film fits into this description. It sits strangely between the traditional Western and the oddball excesses of the Italian Western. It is a rather bizarre experiment that does not quite work for me. The woman is extremely irritating when she fires her gun off every two seconds to aid Nicholson in tracking them. He was obviously not of the old Western tracking school. There is also a strange hand crippling sequence similar to the Italian Western "Django". It is all very surreal fare indeed. The location filming in the lunar desert landscapes of Utah give the film a very stark appearance. This accentuates the very spare style of the film.

Warren Oates is excellent as always. He had a similar role in that other much better experimental film "The Hired Hand". Oates had an interesting but sadly short career. The budgetary restraints are obvious. Personally I guess I am a traditionalist. This film is included in many critics top ten Westerns of all time, but it would certainly not feature in mine. It is a bravura attempt but appears a little pretentious to my eyes. An experiment that like Frankenstein's monster got a little out of hand. I have given the film three stars for being so innovative. It is not to my taste but might be to yours. In stark contrast I thought the more traditional "Ride the Whirlwind" was a superb western, and would thoroughly recommend it. Be warned that Pegasus entertainment classic cowboy collection is at the basic no frills end of the market.

For the record, this review pertains to the Pegasus Entertainment release.

This is a wonderful movie and I encourage anyone with an interest in alternative Westerns, existentialist films or American independent cinema (or which Monet Hellman was a leading figure), or anyone who's a fan of the great Warren Oates, to see it as soon as possible.

However, be wary of the Pegasus Entertainment release. The film is in widescreen but it is not anamorphic and the picture quality is pretty dire. One need only look at the front cover to get some idea of this distributor's level of respect for the films it releases. Jack Nicholson is pretty short and fairly lithe, right? Well, not according to the front of this DVD, which has his face carelessly plopped on top of a broad, stocky body which has itself been careless plopped against a Western background. Think that's funny? On the back on the DVD is the picture from which they removed his face, and you'll notice that his body is facing in a different direction, which explains why he appears to have no neck on the front. For the record, I have no idea who the other person on the front is meant to be, but he sure ain't in the film.

This "artwork" serves as a pretty apt metaphor for the way Pegasus Entertainment have treated the film. I have also seen their release of Vengeance Valley, which is equally dreadful.

The good news is that there exists a DVD release from Cinema Club (with a real picture of Nicholson on the front) which is anamorphic and is infinitely superior in quality. So be sure to pick that one up.

A revenge western that keeps you guessing to the end..A woman gets together a motley crew, to escort her over the hot desert..This is an offbeat western, full of action..helped ny a mysterios stranger (Jack Nickolson) who joins the group. This was planned by the lady, I think...With a cast - jack Mickolson. Warren Oats and Millie Perkins - A perfect mix...I might add, you don't need to be a western fan to enjoy this DVD...The story is so strong.