Shoot Out is a 1971 western film directed by Henry Hathaway.
It stars Gregory Peck and Patricia Quinn.
The film is adapted from Will James's 1930 novel, The Lone Cowboy.
The film was produced, directed, and written by the team that delivered
the Oscar-winning film True Grit.
This was the second-to-last of the 65 films directed by Hathaway.
Production
After filming I Walk the Line, Gregory Peck was looking for a successful film as a follow-up. Believing teaming with the director of True Grit, Henry Hathaway, along with the same producer (Hal B. Wallis) and screenwriter (Marguerite Roberts), would bring similar success, Peck started filming the project in 1970. As the film even followed a similar path - teaming a crusty gunfighter with a young girl for a companion - Peck deferred his usual salary for a percentage of the profits of the film. This allowed the production to come in on a tight budget of $1.19 million.
The film was shot on location in Santa Fe-Los Alamos area of New Mexico between October 12 and December 2, 1970. Production wrapped on December 16.
Release
Box office
The film was released in America on October 13, 1971. It was released in Sweden on August 16, 1971.
Critical reception
The film received negative reviews from a number of critics, especially in light of the blatant repetition of the formula seen in the earlier John Wayne film. Michael Kerbel from the Village Voice wrote that Shoot Out did have some semblance of True Grit, "'but the humor and charm are missing and what remains - a predictable revenge story - becomes tiresome.'"
Others remarked about the slump in Gregory Peck's career: Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film "served 'mostly as a glum reminder of the inadequate use'" of the Hollywood star, while Paine Knickerbocker of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote "'Peck, m'boy, what the hell are you doing here?'"
User Review
Ever hear of a Switzer, name of William Tell?
2 February 2012 | by Spikeopath (United Kingdom) Shoot Out is directed by Henry Hathaway and adapted to the screen by Marguerite Roberts from the novel The Lone Cowboy by Will James. It stars Gregory Peck, Patricia Quinn, Robert F. Lyons, Susan Tyrrell and Dawn Lyn. Music is by Dave Grusin and cinematography by Earl Rath. Plot has Peck playing Clay Lomax, who is out of prison after 7 years and seeking revenge on the partner who shot him in the back during a robbery. But Lomax soon finds he has company in the young child form of Decky Ortega (Lyn), who has been sent to him by his one time lover Teresa, sadly now deceased.
Quote from SPIKEJust do your little chore, punk.
It took a whack from critics of the day, and even now it only seems to have a handful of fans prepared to stand up and say they enjoy it very much. Shoot Out is not a great film, well actually the location work is certainly great, but it is a very rich and warm Western. The problems are hard to argue against, Peck is not adept at playing a vengeful bastard in his later years, the villains are of the near cackling pantomime kind, and a number of cheap money saving tactics are employed by an on the wane Hathaway. Yet the action hits the right notes, Peck's unfolding relationship with the adorable Lyn is heart warming, and the elder female characters-put upon prostitute desperately seeking a way out (Tyrrell)/plain Jane homemaker who drinks to forget her unfulfilled lot (Quinn)-are afforded intelligence in the writing. While some of the location photography, in Technicolor, is gorgeous as Earl Rath gets excellent value out of the New Mexico and California landscapes. And hey! There's even a cameo by the always awesome Arthur Hunnicutt.
I'm giving it a generous 7/10 because it's not deserving of the scorn poured on it elsewhere. If only for the central father/daughter relationship, the scenery and a neat flip-flop pay back scenario, this is recommended to Peck and Western fans. Just don't expect True Grit like some apparently did!