A cult classic Western movie is airing on TV tonight

The Western gave a future Hollywood legend and Oscar-winner one of his earliest major roles.

Written by Carole Eastman (Five Easy Pieces) and directed by Monte Hellman (Two-Lane Blacktop), the film is set in the American West. Its story sees Willet Gashade (Warren Oates, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia), a former bounty hunter, and Coley Boyard (Will Hutchins, Sugarfoot), his dimwitted partner, approached by a secretive young woman (Millie Perkins, The Diary of Anne Frank).

She offers them money to guide her through the desert, but refuses to discuss why she is travelling. The group embarks on the journey and is eventually joined by Billy Spear (Nicholson), a volatile gunslinger whom the woman has also hired.

"The only question is why," the plot synopsis adds.

The Shooting did not get a big release, perhaps because of its low budget or because distributors didn't know what to make of the movie, which subverts many of the expectations of the Western genre and actively avoids clear resolution in its storytelling.

That said, its reputation has improved massively over time, with the film currently holding a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Shooting is now credited as being the first "acid Western", a sub-genre that blends classic Western tropes with elements of 1960s counterculture.

BFI [British Film Institute] has compared the movie to the work of Samuel Beckett, while Criterion describes it as "eerie and existential".

The latter also wrote: "Hellman’s singular odyssey is a vision of the weird old West unlike any other, a spare and challenging work leading to a provocative ending."

The Shooting is airing on TV this evening on the channel Legend at 6.25pm. It's also available to rent on Apple.

Here are the other movies on TV tonight:

Kingsman: The Secret Service - Channel 4 - 9pm

Taron Egerton and Colin Firth kick ass in this very fun and violent send-up of Bond flicks.

Plane - Film4 - 9pm

A very solid action thriller in which Gerard Butler plays a commercial pilot who must save his passengers when his plane is struck by lightning and he is forced to land on a war-torn island.

R.I.P.D. - Comedy Central - 9pm

Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds are undead detectives in this 2013 comic book adaptation.

Sex and the City 2 - RTÉ2 - 9pm

In this big-screen spin-off of the hit comedy series, Sarah Jessica Parker and co take a vacation to Abu Dhabi.

Conan the Barbarian / Red Sonja - Legend Xtra - 9pm / 11.15pm

Two Arnold Schwarzenegger '80s sword-and-sorcery movies back to back.

Chaos - Legend Xtra - 9pm

A forgettable 2005 crime thriller with Jason Statham, Ryan Phillippe and Wesley Snipes.

Luther: Never Too Much - Sky Arts - 9pm

The acclaimed recent music documentary about American soul and R&B singer Luther Vandross.

Bridget Jones's Baby - Sky Showcase - 9.25pm

The third entry in the hit rom-com series of films.

Bridge of Spies - TG4 - 10pm

Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning historical thriller about a New York lawyer (Tom Hanks) who is sent to East Germany during the Cold War to arrange a high-stakes prisoner exchange between the US and the USSR.

Evil Does Not Exist - BBC Four - 10.05pm

From the Oscar-nominated director of Drive My Car, this 2023 Japanese drama is about a rural alpine hamlet near Tokyo that is disrupted by a real estate project.

The Taking of Pelham 123 - ITV4 - 10.15pm

John Travolta takes a NYC subway car hostage, and Denzel Washington is the train dispatcher who must negotiate with him. A tense and underrated thriller remake.

The Predator - Film4 - 11.10pm

The fourth standalone Predator film, directed by Shane Black (The Nice Guys). While it earned pretty mixed reviews, we'd argue it has some merit.

Oasis: Supersonic - Channel 4 - 11.35pm

The pretty fun documentary about Britpop legend Oasis.

Love Affair - RTÉ2 - 11.35pm

A '90s romantic drama starring real-life couple Annette Bening and Warren Beatty.

Circle of Friends - Virgin Media Three - 12am

Chris O’Donnell and Minnie Driver star in this hit 1995 adaptation of a Maeve Binchy novel.

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