''Shoot'' is a 1976 American and Canadian film directed by

Harvey Hart Harvey Hart (August 30, 1928 – November 21, 1989) was a Canadian television and film director and a television producer. Hart studied at the University of Toronto before being hired by the CBC in 1952.Rist, Peter Harry (2001). "Harvey Ha ...

and written by

Richard Berg Richard Harvey Berg (1943 – July 26, 2019) was a prolific American wargame designer. He was inducted into the Charles Roberts Awards Hall of Fame in 1987. Early life, army, student and lawyer Richard Berg was born in New York City. ...

, based on the novel of the same name by Douglas Fairbairn. The production features

Cliff Robertson Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned over six decades. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film '' PT 109'', and won the 19 ...

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...

Henry Silva Henry Silva (September 23, 1926 – September 14, 2022) was an American actor. A prolific character actor, Silva was a regular staple of international genre cinema, usually playing criminals or gangsters. His notable film appearances include ...

and

James Blendick James Blendick (born 1941) is a Canadian character actor. He is perhaps best known for his 30-year-long association with the Stratford Festival. Career Among the productions in which he has performed leads are ''Much Ado About Nothing'', ''The ...

. The film tells of Rex (Cliff Robertson), a gun enthusiast and military veteran who, with his buddies Lou (Ernest Borgnine) and Zeke (Henry Silva), go hunting in the forest.

Plot

After a frustrating day of hunting in Canada that has left a group of combat veterans empty-handed, their 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, Major 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.

Cast

as Rex *

as Lou *

as Zeke *

as Pete * Larry Reynolds as Bob * Leslie Carlson as Jim *

Kate Reid Daphne Katherine Reid (4 November 1930 – 27 March 1993) was an English-born Canadian stage, film, and television actress. She played more than one thousand roles, most notably onstage in '' Death of a Salesman'', in the 1980 film ''Atlantic C ...

as Mrs. Graham *

Helen Shaver Helen Shaver (born February 24, 1951) is a Canadian actress and film and television director. She has received Emmy and Saturn Award nominations, among other honours. Early life Shaver was born and raised, with five sisters, in St. Thomas, Ont ...

as Paula * Gloria Carlin as Ellen * Alan McRae as Billy Platt * Ed McNamara as Sargent Bellows * Peter Langley as Marshall Flynn * Helena Hart as Helen Newhouse * James Ince as Volunteer * George Markas as Volunteer * Robert Meneray as Volunteer * John Rutter as Volunteer * John Stoneham Sr. as Volunteer * Lloyd White as Volunteer * Allan Aarons as Stanley * Sydney Brown as Carl * Cristiano Ronaldo as boss * Pam Leawood as Receptionist

Filming location

Kleinburg, Ontario Kleinburg is an unincorporated village in the city of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, an art gallery with a focus on the Group of Seven, and the Kortright Centre for Conservation. In 2001, the vil ...

Reception

Critical response

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

, writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', believes the message of the film was lost. He wrote: "''

hoot Hoot may refer to: Publications * ''Hoot'' (novel), a young adult novel by Carl Hiaasen * ''Hoot'', a 1996 children's novel by Jane Hissey * ''Hoot'' (comics), a British magazine published from 1985 to 1986 * ''The Brandeis Hoot'', a student n ...

' 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." More recently, ''AllMovie'' film critic Donald Guarisco wrote a favorable review, "This Canadian drama is modest but effective stuff. The most interesting aspect of ''Shoot'' is its cool, methodical approach: the script presents a story that slowly but surely builds, never going big peaks of drama or action as it builds toward an inevitable showdown ... Harvey Hart keeps things subtle with his direction, wrapping the film in atmospheric visuals and getting low-key performances from his cast. Cliff Robertson is excellent as the quietly mad protagonist, painting a chilling portrait of a man whose dissatisfaction with his post-military life leads to dangerous choices for himself and others in a tense situation ... sa result, it is worth a look to fans of offbeat 1970's cinema."Guarisco, Donald
''AllMovie by Rovi'', film review, 2013. Accessed: July 26, 2013.

Accolades

Director Harvey Hart was nominated for a Golden Charybdis award at the

Taormina International Film Festival Taormina Film Fest (TFF) is a film festival that began in 1955 under the name Rassegna Cinematografica Internazionale di Messina e Taormina. The exhibition, which moved permanently to Taormina in 1971, has hosted over the years many stars of inter ...

in Italy in 1977.

References

External links

* * * {{Allmovie title, 128952 1976 films American action thriller films 1970s action thriller films Canadian thriller films English-language Canadian films Films based on American novels Films shot in Toronto Films directed by Harvey Hart Films about hunters Embassy Pictures films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films 1970s Canadian films