Half-Shot Shooters is an interesting variation from the normal Stooges short film. This short features a lot more violence than usual, and it also uses a lot of stock footage spliced into the movie to add realism and special effects. The movie begins with stock footage from some old war movie. It literally has hundreds of soldier running into battle and artillery shells blowing up around them and killing some. It then cuts to the Stooges, laying together in a ditch, sleeping through the battle. Their routine as they try to get some sleep while a battle rages around them is definitely more along the lines of black comedy than what is usual for the Stooges.<br /><br />Later, their Sergeant beats them up and Curly clearly has a swollen eye which becomes a bruised black eye in the next scene. I found that to be a little strange, since the Stooges normally suffer dozens of injuries in a short (similar to Pro Wrestlers) and yet I had never seen any of them sporting visible bruises to illustrate that they are being bullied. A little while later, the Stooges are dirty and ragged, and standing at a window begging for food at a restaurant. The Stooges' pantomime seeking a handout of leftovers is more sad than funny.<br /><br />Further into the film, stock footage is again spliced in to show the victims of the artillery shelling by the Stooges. The idea that the Stooges were blowing up civilian homes, bridges, and a U.S. battleship seemed a bit heavy-handed to me. The finale where the Stooges are executed also seemed like this short was dark comedy. Since in those days there was a lot more censorship, you really have to read between the lines into the context of that era.<br /><br />Overall, maybe this short reflects some anti-war sentiments? I am not sure what the message was, but it was definitely a variation from the standard Stooges comedy. I like it because it is different, and it shows a different interpretation of their comedy by the director and/or the writer of this short.