Shoot!

Cowboys and Indians, outlaws and lawmen, roamed Canada's Old West as well as that of the U.S. Here, Bowering, twice winner of the Canadian Governor General's Award, returns (after Caprice, 1987) to that rugged North with a tale of crime and punishment in the British Columbia of yore. The McLean Gang terrorized Canada's western province in 1879, stealing cattle, horses, guns and whiskey. Half-breeds, the McLean brothers grew up bitter, antisocial outcasts, rejected by both the white and Indian worlds. In Bowering's fictional re-creation of these hard cases' lives, the brothers, fueled by mind-numbing reservation hooch and boasts of retribution, ride out on a wild spree of robbery, rustling and murder. Led by the oldest brother, Allan, the McLeans are a sad gang of misfits eager to become famous outlaws--but without fully understanding why, or the price they will pay for their brief fame. Allan is brooding and dreams of leading an Indian uprising to drive the whites from Native lands. Archie, Alex and Charlie are teenaged gunmen who think only of whiskey, guns and the excitement of outlaw life. Quickly tiring of the McLeans' dangerous game, however, lawmen, bounty hunters and irate ranchers break out their Winchesters and hanging ropes to put an end to the problem. With powerful imagery and crisp narration, Bowers delivers a stinging commentary on the desperation of racism in the harsh environment of the Canadian West. (Jan.)