MovieChat Forums > Easy Rider (1969) Discussion > So was the shooting accidental? (spoiler...

So was the shooting accidental? (spoilers)

posted 14 years ago by sth78
54 replies | jump to latest

It's been a while since I saw this movie, but I seem to remember that the two hillbillies in the truck only intended to scare the bikers with the shotgun. Did the first shot go off by accident? It never stroke me as a deliberate murder, but again, it's been a while.

Even if the first shot was by accident, it still makes sense for the hillbillies to execute Peter Fonda's character on purpose, because once they've killed one person, it is not much difference in punishment for having killed two, and obviously, they'd got rid off any witnesses that way. On the other hand, they didn't go back to finish the deal, and Wyatt was still alive after being shot.

Anyone who has the movie fresh in mind, who can clear this matter up for me? Thanks.

[–] binit7 14 years ago

The shootout scene seemed surreal to me; the way bikers were blown off after being shot. I think the scene was symbolic.

[–] sth78 14 years ago

Agreed. It seemed surreal to me too. But I think I recall a "what happened?"-cry from the hillbillies, after the first shot went off. After that it is logical that they try to get rid off the witness.

But I am only not sure that they intentionally wanted to shoot Dennis Hopper's character.

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[–] ThereWillBeBeer 14 years ago

No it was not accidental. The redneck pointed the shotgun at Billy and when Billy gave him the finger, he shot him. He was being sarcastic when he said 'what happened?' to the other redneck driving the truck

[–] Furie89 14 years ago

*beep* REDNECKS!

[–] thelastrebel64 14 years ago

It's obvious that the guy with the shotgun didn't intend to kill Dennis Hopper, he just wanted to scare him. Either the gun went off accidentally, or he meant to fire a warning shot, but killed Hopper by mistake. Obviously, he shot Peter Fonda on purpose afterwards, because Fonda was a witness to the first shooting.

Pray for an early spring ... or permission to open fire.

[–] Hysteria28 14 years ago

The redneck shot Hopper after he told him to get a haircut. I think it was intentional.

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[–] sbere 8 years ago

If you watch it carefully that it was an accident was the conclusion I would come to. However, they seemed happy after it happened.
--I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

[–] Mugros 14 years ago

That's wrong. He gives him the finger, but he isn't shot immediately. The redneck doesn't even seem to respond to it. They wanted to scare him but as they pointed the gun at him it went off. The second shot was intentional, of course.

[–] ThereWillBeBeer 14 years ago

I don't get how anyone can believe it was accidental.
I am 100% convinced it was intentional.
Those redneck hillbillies regarded hippies as sub-human and knew they could kill them without repercussions.

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[–] scottythefield 13 years ago

I don't get how anyone can believe it was accidental.
I am 100% convinced it was intentional.

Well, it's the fact that redneck #1 announces his intention to SCARE them, not kill them, that makes it ambiguous. If he'd said something else, something like "Watch this" or "I'll take care of these two" or whatever, there'd be no question that the shooting was intentional.

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[–] ibbi 14 years ago

It's pretty vague as to whether the first shooting is accidental or not, maybe he didn't mean to actually hit him, just scare him. The second was certainly intentional.

HEINEKEN?! F_CK THAT SH_T! PABST. BLUE. RIBBON.

[–] Hysteria28 14 years ago

If you observe closely the redneck was looking in the direction of the driver next to him when he shot Hopper. Maybe it was an accident.

[–] MystMoonstruck 14 years ago

I just finished watching the film, just this moment, and it does look accidental. When the gun goes off, he turns to the driver and says, "What happened?" Then, he tells him they have to double back. He knows he has to shoot the only witness. I guess they figure that these were killing shots. Or, it could be that it was meant to be left up in the air: if the two were going to be finished off by these guys or survive the ordeal. I believe the first shot is accidental, even though the guy was upset when he was given the finger. I think they were just trying to put a scare in them and it became disastrous.

To be honest, I hadn't seen the movie for a couple of decades and sort of took for granted that people always said that both had been shot on purpose. Since I had not seen the film more than a few times, I supposed I was "misremembering". But, now I know. Maybe some weren't sure because of the mumbled words.

~~MystMoonstruck~~

[–] willywilly 14 years ago

The same tribe already killed the Jack Nicholson character. My other problem with the accidental theory is that story-wise it doesn't make much sense, doesn't mean anything, except maybe that these people representing heartland America were so screwed up and lost that they didn't know what they were doing.

[–] sth78 14 years ago

But did they even intend to kill the George Hanson character? I mean, they show up with baseball bats, not guns. A machete is not a first-choice weapon for intentional murder.

Anyways, the hillbilly says "Let's scare the hell out of them", when reaching for his shotgun. And when Billy fingers him, he fires, but it is not a mortal shot. Billy lays on ground talking ("I'm gonna get them!"), obviously injured, but alive. The killing of Wyatt is obviously for getting rid of the only witness, but Billy is still there, alive at the end of the picture.

Is it a very unlikely theory that the hillbillies are just too dense to comprehend what consequences their 'scaring off' actions have, and only realize until after?

[–] ThereWillBeBeer 14 years ago

<<Is it a very unlikely theory that the hillbillies are just too dense to comprehend what consequences their 'scaring off' actions have, and only realize until after? >>

No consequences to worry about. When the local "authorities" find two dead long-hairs on the road, they would just say good riddance and have their bodies thrown in a dumpster.

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[–] CountSuckula 14 years ago

Good Lord, I honestly don't know how it could've been more obvious--Hopper's death was an accident, and Peter Fonda was deliberately shot because he was the surviving witness.

The guy in the truck "riding shotgun" (pun intended) clearly says while chuckling, "Hey, let's scare the hell out of 'em" (rather than something like, "Hey, let's get these hippy fuqqers!")

If he had wanted to shoot Hopper's character he had ample opportunity to do so (before, during and after Hopper flipped him off) but he didn't...until the gun went off.

It was only after the shotgun accidentally discharded; (hence the poorly acted query "wut happened?" ) that we realise what actually occured. If he had actually intended to shoot, why on earth would he ask the driver "what happened?" Had he really wanted to shoot Hopper it would've made more sense for him to say something like, " I GOT 'EM!! I GOT 'EM!!! h'yuk! h'yuk!" don't you think?

It's the "redneck's" extremely poor acting and his vacuous expression that causes all the confusion.

"Stick with me baby, and you'll be fartin' thru silk!"

[–] ThereWillBeBeer 14 years ago

It was NOT accidental. He may not have intended to shoot Billy initially, but when Billy flipped him off he point blank shot him. The 'what happened?' was sarcasm.

[–] sdwilson79 14 years ago

Totally. He is looking straight at Hopper when he fires. Maybe he didn't intend to kill him, just scare him with a shot across his lines, or to hit the bike but misjudged his aim and struck Hopper's body. He certainly intends to fire, it is not an accident that he fired, just an accident that he hit his 'target'.

The second is clearly intentional and aiming to kill.

[–] BreakingDexter 13 years ago

If it wasn't a *beep* accident his finger wouldn't have been anywhere near the trigger. It WASN'T an accident.

[–] childer_orion700 14 years ago

Yes the shot was absolutely on purpose. The hick with the shotgun had his little small-town ego hurt when Billy flipped him the birdy. The hick driving says "What did you do?" because it shocked him that he actually pulled the trigger. When he says "Maybe we should go back" he didn't mean to help him, he meant to kill the other biker who was a witness to the crime.

[–] Robbmonster 13 years ago

I just got done watching the film for the first time.

My opinion on the shooting is that it was directed in such a way as to be surreal, vague, and utterly ambiguous.

That said, someone who points a shotgun at someone and pulls the trigger can't be said to have acted 'accidentally'. But who knows.

No doubt that Captain America was shot deliberately, though.

Never defend crap with: "It's just a movie"
My work:
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[–] sth78 13 years ago

That said, someone who points a shotgun at someone and pulls the trigger can't be said to have acted 'accidentally'.

True, but he says that his intention is to scare them. And the vague "What happened?" reaction doesn't indicate that he intended to actually hit Billy. However, the actor's acting is really not convincing either way.

[–] Robbmonster 13 years ago

True, but he says that his intention is to scare them. And the vague "What happened?" reaction doesn't indicate that he intended to actually hit Billy. However, the actor's acting is really not convincing either way.

That's actually a VERY good point that you make. Whether deliberately or not, the acting of the guys in the pickup was terrible and is actually responsible for a lot of the ambiguity of the scene.

The fact the entire scene happens so fast doesn't help either. But I love the uncertainty of it. That kind of open-endedness is rare in film these days...

Never defend crap with: "It's just a movie"
My work:
watch?v=uwRqc0KSkJ0
watch?v=z74-vDDDmTU

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] koko-10 8 years ago

I don't blame the performers. They, like many others in this film, were not professional actors, but obviously chosen out of the local population to have a few lines, lending a more realistic feel to the movie.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

[–] PrimordialDreamer 13 years ago

There`s no way it was accident, well they certainly didn`t react like it was an accident. It was probably just a normal saturday afternoon for those two lunatics.

If you keep an open mind, you`ll discover dark secrets.

[–] erikriveros 13 years ago

you point a loaded shotgun at a man from a moving vehicle from 10 feet away and it goes off, whethere 'by accident' or not, you are 100% responsible for it, i don't give a damn if you didn't wake up that morning planning to kill someone..

these rednecks known one thing better than most, and that's shotguns...he knew what he was doing...and i'm sure that 'accident' was precipitated by billy flipping the dude off...

it is better to have a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not have it