| Shoot | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Harvey Hart |
| Produced by | Benjamin Melniker Harve Sherman |
| Screenplay by | Dick Berg |
| Story by | Douglas Fairbairn |
| Starring | Cliff Robertson Ernest Borgnine |
| Music by | Doug Riley |
| Cinematography | Zale Magder |
| Editing by | Peter Shatalow Ron Wisman |
| Distributed by | Avco Embassy Pictures |
| Release date(s) | May 28, 1976 |
| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Shoot (1976) is a Canadian film directed by Harvey Hart. The screenplay was written by Richard Berg and based on the novel of the same name by Douglas Fairbairn.[1]
The film tells of Rex (Cliff Robertson), a gun enthusiast and military veteran who, with his buddies Lou (Ernest Borgnine) and Zeke (Henry Silva), stalk wild game in the forest.
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After a frustrating day of hunting that has left the group empty-handed the hunting party comes to a river. Another band of hunters appears on the other side, and stares them down.
Suddenly a gun goes off, and Zeke retaliates by shooting and killing one of the men on the other riverbank. After an exchange of gunfire, Rex and his friends win the skirmish, driving the other group off.
Deciding to keep the incident a secret from the police, they round up a posse of friends and pursue the other hunters through the woods in a bloody mini-war that only Lou questions.
Vincent Canby, writing for The New York Times, believes the message of the film was lost. He wrote: "[Shoot] apparently hopes to be making a statement about the mayhem that can be caused by easy access to weaponry, but most of the time the film doesn't believe in itself. When one character says to another, 'I can't believe it really happened', it's as if the film makers were trying to disassociate themselves from the melodramatic nonsense they've concocted."[2]