Shootout!

I don't ever recall seeing this show on The History Channel on British TV . Hardly surprising because despite claiming to be military history it does have a definite American flavour which won't tickle the taste buds of an international audience . It's almost a Fox News version of military history . Think of Stephen Ambrose flag waving style history meets Call Of Duty meets MTV and you're well on the way to understanding what this show is about . It's jingoistic war porn for salad dodging computer game obsessed Americans which is very sexy if you like that type of stuff but leaves a slightly bad taste in your mouth Episode 6 features a criminal shoot out with the police in LA and one wonders if this is the type of show that appeals to people who are obsessed with gun fanatics who would love to get involved in a shoot out with the cops ?

Every episode centres around an American led battle so if you're expecting an episode featuring the likes of Waterloo , Verdun or Stalingrad you will be disappointed . If the battle doesn't feature the Americans then it didn't happen hence we get episodes exclusively centered around the likes of The Battle Of The Bulge , Okinawa and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan . Some of the episode headings are misleading . Season Two's " Afghanistan's Deadliest Snipers " doesn't feature snipers at all but war porn featuring fire fights between " American warriors " and the Taliban . If you're expecting the longest sniper kill in history by Rob Furlong in 2002 then you'll be shocked to find he's conspicuous by his absence . It should be remembered that Furlong was a Canadian soldier so maybe that's why he isn't named checked . Since then Furlong's record was beaten by British Army sniper Craig Harrison . Don't expect a Hollywood movie featuring Harrison or Furlong any time soon . Another irritant is the over use of expressions and phrases that belong only to American English hence we get " American warriors " and " These guys were totally hardcore fighters " etc etc

What stops SHOOTOUT being dumped alongside DEADLIEST WARRIOR in the deranged televisual guilty pleasures bin is the technical merit it brings to a tired formula of talking heads interviews , reconstructions of battle and computer graphics . It's superbly edited and never boring but its in your face style is rather tasteless and over whelming and while it may claim to celebrate courage it seems to constantly and subjectively wave an American flag in a way not even John Wayne could have envisaged

I have only seen a few episodes of SHOOTOUT and I don't know if there are very many episodes anyway, but the point is, it's a good show, and the History Channel should have it on more often and have more new episodes.

This show is good because it has a mix of real footage, interviews with the veterans, rejectors, and digital layouts to get an idea of the location the soldiers are in.

Having rejectors for most of the show helps, because not every event of WWII was filmed, and it helps out greatly to get a better idea of what was going on.

I hope the History Channel will start to show this show more often, and have more episodes.

I started to watch this one-hour episode on The History Channel and turned it off after fifteen minutes.

It is unwatchable. It is not history in a sensible documentary format.

The narrator is hyper and makes it seem like the film is based on some child's Commando strip comic. I almost expected to see voice bubbles with "Achtung!" on screen.

Shoot Out is an utterly dreadful format and evidence of The History Channel dumbing down. Other parts in the series, such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa, I have not seen but, if The Big Red One's format is a guide, then they'll be best avoided. Indeed, the subject matter for those parts of the Pacific War has been well served in other programmes on this same channel.

Just purchased the first two seasons on DVD. What an awesome show. If your a Military History buff you will love this program. It combines the "information" of a documentary; the "drama" of a feature film; and the "character study" of a TV series. It shows just how incredibly brave, professional, and heroic these men involved in shootout's can be. It has personal stories and details that pull you in to caring about the subjects, and it has even more impact because the stories are true. While the show clearly demonstrates the amazing abilities of the soldiers involved in the battles,it does not glorify what they are doing. It also does not demonize the enemies they are facing but rather presents them as equally deadly and professional adversaries. This is the best series to come to the History Channel in some time; highly recommended.

Great Production - As a member of the specialty background unit (SWAT4Hire) I was truly proud to be a part of this realistic reenactment series. Greystone Productions was amazing to work with. The directors for each story really went the extra mile to capture the way these events really unfolded. Using real officers to play the part of the key figures in each segment was a nice touch. Mixing in the interviews with the real characters as the story progress really added an extra impact to the overall effect of the real-life drama. The History Channel has set the precedence for future story telling. Great Job!!!