Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- absurdist
- foreboding
- late night cinephile viewing
- cult western marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Monte Hellman's offbeat western as a powerful, highly stylized, and pioneering existential genre film, while acknowledging its deliberately puzzling climax.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Gashade escorts the Woman across the desert before realizing the journey is organized around hunting an unknown rider.
Critics identify the film as an early acid western, linking its strange fatalism and absurdist atmosphere to later countercultural westerns.
The party endures a long, hot passage through an apparently endless desert while motivations and identities remain unstable.
Former bounty hunter Gashade can follow the quarry but cannot determine the purpose or moral logic of the pursuit.
Films like The Shooting, and why
Dead Man
existential western atmosphere, enigmatic quest, and disorienting fatalism
Ride in the Whirlwind
revisionist western form, absurdist humor, and psychologically unsettling desert journey
The Ballad of Cable Hogue
bleak frontier isolation, mysterious pursuit, and stripped-down western stylization
El Topo
surreal western atmosphere, opaque motivations, and philosophical journey structure
Movie Details
- Director
- Monte Hellman
- Release Date
- 1966-06-02
- Runtime
- 82 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (144)
Cast
- Warren Oates
- Will Hutchins
- Millie Perkins
- Jack Nicholson
- Charles Eastman
- Guy El Tsosie
- Brandon Carroll
- B. J. Merholz
- Wally Moon
- William Mackleprang
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Peacock Premium, Criterion Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Artiflix, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Shooting about?
- A former bounty hunter escorts an enigmatic woman across a merciless desert, only to discover that the journey is an inscrutable hunt.
- What is The Shooting like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Shooting as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Shooting violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Shooting as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Shooting?
- Critics broadly regard Monte Hellman's offbeat western as a powerful, highly stylized, and pioneering existential genre film, while acknowledging its deliberately puzzling climax.
- Which films are like The Shooting?
- Films with a similar feel include Dead Man, Ride in the Whirlwind, The Ballad of Cable Hogue, and El Topo.
- How long is The Shooting?
- The Shooting runs 82 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Shooting?
- In United States, The Shooting streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Peacock Premium, Criterion Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Artiflix, Howdy Amazon Channel.
