Shoot Out (1971)
7/10
Surprisingly good western
8 August 2017
Ten years after Gregory Peck played America's ideal father in To Kill a Mockingbird, he thought it would be funny to take a role in which he inherits a little girl and doesn't know how to handle her. Well, I'm not sure if that's why he made Shoot Out, but it's pretty adorable to watch him as he adjusts with his new parenthood. The scenes he shares with Dawn Lyn are the best parts of the movie. He even affectionately calls her "Scout" during one scene—too cute!

Robert F. Lyons plays a despicable bad guy, and while I understand why he had to be written that way, whenever he was on the screen, I was actually physically uncomfortable until the scene changed. After a while, I stopped cringing, put my trust in Gregory Peck, the just-released convict who's out for revenge, and let the chips fall where they may. The bad guys won't really get him, will they?

You'll have to watch it to find out, and if you like westerns, I recommend you do. The father-daughter scenes are really cute, and there's a bit of romantic tension with Patricia Quinn to spice things up for Greg, who's a little worn around the edges but still looks good in a cowboy hat. And while there's a very evil villain, his scenes do keep you on the edge of your seat. I wasn't expecting to like Shoot Out as much as I did, so give it a try and see if you like it, too!
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