1976 · western
The Shootist
Directed by Don Siegel1h 40m1976
Afflicted with a terminal illness John Bernard Books, the last of the legendary gunfighters, quietly returns to Carson City for medical attention from his old friend Dr. Hostetler. Aware that his days are numbered, the troubled man seeks solace and peace in a boarding house run by a widow and her son. However, it is not Books' fate to die in peace, as he becomes embroiled in one last valiant battle.
Our read: The Shootist (1976) reads as a sombre, measured, grounded western entry — measured in intensity, intimate in scope, measured in temperature, ambivalent in outlook.
Sombre, measured, measured western, grounded in texture. Ambivalent, intimate, measured.
- sombre
- measured
- intense
Watching The Shootist tonight? Spin for your lens.
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Availability in the UK · via JustWatch
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How The Shootist feels to watch.
Each axis is scored by hand, not from votes or genre averages. The bar uses the film's own colours.
What watching it is actually like.
“You want a dignified farewell western about aging, fame, and mortality.”
Skip it tonight — You find slow classic westerns boring after forty minutes.
Eight films that feel like this one.
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