Shoot

With Cliff Robertson, Ernest Borgnine, and Henry Silva on board, I was expecting a lot more than "Shoot" delivered. Character development is virtually nil, and Silva's part could easily been played by a no name actor. Sandwitched between the opening ambush and the final shootout in the snow, is some filler that has no bearing whatsoever on the outcome of the movie. A chatty widow and a friend's wife throwing themselves at Cliff Robertson feels like nothing more than script stretching. "Shoot"'s similarity to "Rituals" and "Hunter's Blood", two other "Deliverance" clones is unmistakable, but they are far superior movies. A BIG letdown. - MERK

I am a sucker for survivalist films, men caught up in a situation, especially in isolated settings. This is that type of film, or at least starts out as one, but takes different turns that at first were disappointing, then when all was said and done were appreciated for their originality. The pacing, slow and thoughtful, throws some for a loop, but so did the climax for me, which shifts gears several times and catches you off guard before the credits roll. I defy anyone to nail where this film is going at any point, or figure out its message easily. Several social issues arise. I think you can project different meanings on this film. It has stuck with me.

Another thoughtful, slow and subtle film by the same director, in the Horror genre, is The Pyx (1973), also made in Canada. Director Harvey Hart has quite an interesting TV resume, including Alfred Hitchcock, Wild Wild West, Star Trek, Starlost and Colombo.

I saw this flick years ago when TV was still cool and they had late night movies on most stations instead of ridiculous talk-shows and infomercials. It was probably only on because it was Canadian, and stations were required to have so much Canadian content and back them Canadian movies were for the most part bad or non-existent. It had all the cursing blanked out but still I was old enough to infer what was said. But I was most impressed with this back then! It took me a lot of years to track down a copy of this on video, and now that I did and watched it again, I still thought that it was awesomely cool (even though I knew what the ending would be). The story is pretty simple. A group of hunters bored because there is nothing left to shoot, meet another group of hunters in the same situation. Then just like that, a firefight erupts leaving one of their group injured and one of the other group dead. From then on, it builds up from 'should they report it' to 'they be after us for revenge' and every level in between. So the hunters get all the guns and gear and able-bodied men they can and go back to the spot the following Saturday in anticipation of the other hunters being there to ambush them. Will they be there or is it just paranoia? I'm not saying but the ending is a surprise.

I saw this movie when it first came out. I had seen the novel in the base exchange and since I was sticking around base, I read it in a few days. Interesting characters and plot, a Deliverance type of ethical dilemma and the inclusion of some good actors, I thought it would be a good movie. I was disappointed at seeing many of the characters wooden and shallow, unlike their motivations in the book. Several of the characters were WWII vets, with a Vietnam vet thrown in. Interesting in the book, slow and dragging on screen. When the final encounter happens, it is well done and it was shocking to see. It was one of a series of movies made in the 70s with a stark realism to its look, but the story line was far-fetched. Nothing I have read or done would lead me to believe that the novel or the movie though were based upon Soviet spetznaz incursions from Canada into the U.S. Just a good novel not particularly well done to screen.

I honestly never intent to touch upon political themes in my film reviews, but I can't help establishing that some of the main topics in this 42-year-old movie are still incredibly relevant today. For you see, I'm writing this review just a few days after another terribly catastrophic mass shooting took place in an American high school (Parkland, Florida on Valentine's Day 2018) and naturally the debates regarding the controversial 2nd Amendment are held across the internet. These same socially sensitive debates are also already featuring in Harvey Hart's 1976 film "Shoot" and it remains a disturbingly realistic and uncomfortable sight to see how a man, with access to a nearly unlimited weapon arsenal, grows increasingly paranoid and bloodthirsty.

The film, adapted from a novel by Douglas Fairbairn that I would love to read, has a very simple but effective premise. Six middle-aged small-town buddies, former Vietnam veterans, meet on an ordinary Sunday morning to go hunting. They're strolling through the woods and make jokes, and then they spot another hunting party across a river. They first stare at each other when, suddenly and for no apparent reason, someone in the other group fires a shot in their direction. Wild gunfire ensues in which Zeke (Henry Silva) kills a hunter on the other side. When the group is back home, they are debating whether to report the incident to the authorities and they are quite astonished to learn that the other party didn't report it either. Rex, the self-declared leader of the pack, becomes more and more convinced that the other group is preparing a bloody retaliation and urges his pals to surprise them first.

Many of my fellow reviewers are giving a lot rating to "Shoot" because of its slow pacing and uneventful middle-section. It's undeniably true that the screenplay contains too many dull and overly talkative sequences, but the uncanny atmosphere remains throughout and the macho male performances keep you glued to the screen. Even during the slow middle section there are a few extremely powerful and memorable scenes, like when Rex visits the dead hunter's widow or when Ernest Borgnine gives his solid friendship speech at the meeting. The finale is vintage 70s survivalist/warfare spectacle. "Shoot" is not quite playing in the same league as "Deliverance" or "Southern Comfort", but it's nevertheless a highly recommended drama/thriller.