“It took ten years for The Shooting to find its audience, and no wonder. In 1966, when it was made, no one was ready for a western allegory of existential despair, especially with a cast of unknowns like Jack Nicholson and Warren Oates. Shot on a shoestring budget of $75,000 (provided by Roger Corman), the film was never put into general distribution; even now, with its ‘legendary' status assured, screenings are extremely rare. The story seems to concern a bounty-hunter-turned-miner (Warren Oates) searching for his brother, but it becomes apparent early in the game that the real plot is considerably more mysterious. The script by Adrien Joyce provides a perfect framework for Hellman's enigmatic study of man's futile struggle against his own mortality.”