"Shoot Out" is finely crafted, if old fashioned western, which deserves more respect than it gets. Released in 1971, following an era of Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpaugh, "Shoot Out" "Shoot Out" tries to have it both ways. That is, adding violence and sex to what is essentially a "family film." One character is shot repeatedly and I'm sure I clearly saw Susan Tyrell's bare breast at a distance, when she's laying on a bed. In other words, "Shoot Out" is the artistic equivalent of adding tail fins to Mustang. Worse, "Shoot Out" is a victim of television. Television killed out modest musicals and "singing cowboy" westerns in the 50s. By the mid to late sixties, TV westerns were in color, had fine production values and ran as long as 90 minutes, excluding commercials. Worse, the public had grown weary, due to the glut of TV westerns. Roughly, a hundred or more TV western series ran on the airwaves between 1955 and 1971. Just as with musicals, only offbeat or lavish westerns appealed to the movie going public. Finally, Universal appeared, at least, to be mostly interested in producing "B movie" programmers to supplement their theatrical movie inventory, as they were the primary supplier of the NBC prime time movies. As a result, few Universal westerns were made in widescreen (letterbox) format by the "Shoot Out" was released. So, production value wise, "Shoot Out" is barely distinguishable from a TV western.
Peck is OK in "Shoot Out." However, his role could have been played as well or better by most of his contemporaries; Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin, Richard Widmark, Robert Mitchum or James Stewart would have been just as good. Henry Fonda, Kirk Douglas or John Wayne would have been even better. However, even these aging stars had difficulty selling their own westerns during this era. "Shoot Out" may not be a great western, but it certainly better than "The Train Robbers," "Cahill: US Marshall" or "Rooster Cogburn," three made by John Wayne during this time period. However, for those who don't think Peck can play menacing, watch "Spellbound," "Dual in the Sun," "The Boys From Brazil," or, especially, "I Walk The Line." Peck becomes downright chilling in his obsession for Tuesday Weld. Here, he's closer to his role in "To Kill a Mockingbird," and it's inappropriate. Standout performances in "Shoot Out" include Robert F. Lyons, Susan Tyrell and Dawn Lyn. VARIETY criticized Lyons as being unintentionally funny as Bobby Jay, but that was the point. Unlike the sadistic villains of Leone and Peckinpaugh, Bobby Jay is a "child man," the kind of psycho played by Robert Evans in "Fiend That Walked the West," and, to some lesser extent, Gregory Peck played in "Duel in the Sun." Like a school bully, Bobby Jay didn't see his actions as cruel. It wasn't that he enjoyed inflicting pain; as is with most psychopaths, Bobby Jay simply didn't see his victims as human. In many ways, that made Bobby Jay more dangerous than a sadist. Interestingly, Gregory Peck played similar role in "Duel in the Sun". Susan Tyrell is amazing as Alma; a "child woman," Alma related to her exploitation as a little girl playing doctor with three little boys. Thus, Alma was the perfect counterpoint to both Bobby Jay and Decky. In fact, Susan Tyrell and Dawn Lyn look so much alike,Alma could be Decky as an adult. Dawn Lyn does a fine job with a very difficult role, as Decky. Decky is, alternately, a sweet eight year old and a foul mouthed midget, reflecting her upbringing by a prostitute mother. It's apparent Decky will grow up to be Alma if she doesn't get the kind of parental support. As Emma, Peck's love interest, usually fine actress Rita Gam disappoints. Her flat line readings seem "phoned in" and she lacks chemistry with Peck. Worse, director Henry Hathaway fails to cover for this lack of chemistry with tight closeups, which would have helped immensely.
WARNING: SPOILERS
Some have characterized Peck as "stupid" for not killing Bobby Jay and his partners when he had the drop on them at their campsite. Well, let's see, what do you think the law would have done to Peck had he killed these three men in cold blood in front of two witnesses, Alma and Decky? Even if all three had been "Wanted: Dead or Alive," would Peck have been wise to do so? Peck might have been injured in a shoot out, and he had a eight year old to protect. Sure, Peck should not have left the guns by the window, when he arrived at Emma's. Certainly, he should have unloaded them. However, people make similar errors in judgment all the time, and Peck could not have anticipated Emma coming on to him.
Given that Peck and Lyons are dopplegangers (two sides of the same character), producer Hal Wallis would have been better served by using the money he spent for the unnecessary holdup flashback to purchase the "skinny dipping" scene from "Duel in the Sun." With a little careful picture and sound editing, he could have passed off Jennifer Jones as Decky's mother and shown Peck in, arguably his best performance, as a playful psychotic. Inserting this flashback immediatlely following the scene of Peck bathing Decky would have worked beautifully, and better established Peck's character and unruly past.
END OF SPOILERS
Even given it's weaknesses, "Shoot Out" is worth a view. I give it a "7".
Peck is OK in "Shoot Out." However, his role could have been played as well or better by most of his contemporaries; Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin, Richard Widmark, Robert Mitchum or James Stewart would have been just as good. Henry Fonda, Kirk Douglas or John Wayne would have been even better. However, even these aging stars had difficulty selling their own westerns during this era. "Shoot Out" may not be a great western, but it certainly better than "The Train Robbers," "Cahill: US Marshall" or "Rooster Cogburn," three made by John Wayne during this time period. However, for those who don't think Peck can play menacing, watch "Spellbound," "Dual in the Sun," "The Boys From Brazil," or, especially, "I Walk The Line." Peck becomes downright chilling in his obsession for Tuesday Weld. Here, he's closer to his role in "To Kill a Mockingbird," and it's inappropriate. Standout performances in "Shoot Out" include Robert F. Lyons, Susan Tyrell and Dawn Lyn. VARIETY criticized Lyons as being unintentionally funny as Bobby Jay, but that was the point. Unlike the sadistic villains of Leone and Peckinpaugh, Bobby Jay is a "child man," the kind of psycho played by Robert Evans in "Fiend That Walked the West," and, to some lesser extent, Gregory Peck played in "Duel in the Sun." Like a school bully, Bobby Jay didn't see his actions as cruel. It wasn't that he enjoyed inflicting pain; as is with most psychopaths, Bobby Jay simply didn't see his victims as human. In many ways, that made Bobby Jay more dangerous than a sadist. Interestingly, Gregory Peck played similar role in "Duel in the Sun". Susan Tyrell is amazing as Alma; a "child woman," Alma related to her exploitation as a little girl playing doctor with three little boys. Thus, Alma was the perfect counterpoint to both Bobby Jay and Decky. In fact, Susan Tyrell and Dawn Lyn look so much alike,Alma could be Decky as an adult. Dawn Lyn does a fine job with a very difficult role, as Decky. Decky is, alternately, a sweet eight year old and a foul mouthed midget, reflecting her upbringing by a prostitute mother. It's apparent Decky will grow up to be Alma if she doesn't get the kind of parental support. As Emma, Peck's love interest, usually fine actress Rita Gam disappoints. Her flat line readings seem "phoned in" and she lacks chemistry with Peck. Worse, director Henry Hathaway fails to cover for this lack of chemistry with tight closeups, which would have helped immensely.
WARNING: SPOILERS
Some have characterized Peck as "stupid" for not killing Bobby Jay and his partners when he had the drop on them at their campsite. Well, let's see, what do you think the law would have done to Peck had he killed these three men in cold blood in front of two witnesses, Alma and Decky? Even if all three had been "Wanted: Dead or Alive," would Peck have been wise to do so? Peck might have been injured in a shoot out, and he had a eight year old to protect. Sure, Peck should not have left the guns by the window, when he arrived at Emma's. Certainly, he should have unloaded them. However, people make similar errors in judgment all the time, and Peck could not have anticipated Emma coming on to him.
Given that Peck and Lyons are dopplegangers (two sides of the same character), producer Hal Wallis would have been better served by using the money he spent for the unnecessary holdup flashback to purchase the "skinny dipping" scene from "Duel in the Sun." With a little careful picture and sound editing, he could have passed off Jennifer Jones as Decky's mother and shown Peck in, arguably his best performance, as a playful psychotic. Inserting this flashback immediatlely following the scene of Peck bathing Decky would have worked beautifully, and better established Peck's character and unruly past.
END OF SPOILERS
Even given it's weaknesses, "Shoot Out" is worth a view. I give it a "7".