Western Wednesdays: Young Guns (1988)

     Young Guns was released on August 12, 1988. It is directed by Christopher Cain and written by John Fusco. It is a retelling of the Lincoln County War, focusing on the exploits of William Bonney (Emilio Estevez) better known as Billy the Kid.

    Going into Young Guns, I expected a light hearted star vehicle for the cast (including Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, and Kiefer Sutherland) featuring a watered down portrayal of the Lincoln County War. The former turned out to be the case. The young, popular actors are clearly the main draw here and the film is generally lighthearted and moves at a quick pace. At the same time, however, its unexpectedly dark in places. The writers don't really romanticize Billy the Kid the way I expected them too. As portrayed by Estevez he's a highly unstable, cold blooded killer. This is not to say that he wholly unsympathetic, he and the regulators are clearly on the right side of this conflict, but he's a much darker character then I expected.

     This, in some ways, is both a good thing and a bad thing. On one hand, its more historically accurate and makes for a more unpredictable story. On the other hand, because of the more lighthearted, 80's action film approach the filmmakers take, it creates some tonal inconstancy. I was greatly surprised when Charlie Sheen's character, Dick Brewer, was unceremoniously killed halfway through the movie, but I was positively shocked when, earlier in the film, Billy murders fellow regulator J. McCloskey in cold blood for suspecting (rightly, it turns out) that he is working for Jack Palance's corrupt rancher, Lawrence Murphy.

     Though, like most westerns, Young Guns is not all that historically accurate, I was surprised that it was closer to the real story then one might expect. The scene where Billy kills a bounty hunter by surreptitiously removing the bullets from his gun is taken straight out of the history books, though it happened later in the outlaw's life. It also shows how he got his nickname from the newspapers although, again, this happens at an earlier time and is facilitated by Chavez. To be clear, the film contains far more historical errors then historical facts but, to borrow a quote from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, "This is the West, sir."

     Young Guns feels a little dated at times. Compared to other contemporary westerns (Lonesome Dove, Silverado, Pale Rider) which have aged gracefully, it's apparent pretty quickly that your watching an 80's movie. There's nothing inherently wrong with that but it does take me out of the movie at times. The score by Anthony Marinelli and Brian Banks, which often utilizes electronic instrumentation, is particularly egregious in this regard as is the sequence where the regulators get "high" after Cahvez offers them Navajo peyote.

     It has a good cast. Emilio Estevez is really quite good as Billy, giving the psychotic protagonist just enough charm to make you like him. Keifer Sutherland is also solid as the more morally centered Doc Scurlock, providing a nice contrast to Billy. Dermot Mulroney and Casey Siemaszko are also good as "Dirty Steve" Stephens and Charlie Bowdre respectively. The casting of Lou Diamond Phillips, a Filipino-American actor, as the Native American Jose Chavez y Chavez (who was of Spanish ancestry in real life) is a little odd while Charlie Sheen (certainly the most well known of the main cast today) sort of ruins his performance as Dick Brewer with an hilariously bad accent. The real stars, as far as this western movie fan is concerned, are the supporting cast. Jack Palance is great as always (if a bit underutilized) as the film's main antagonist, Lawrence Murphy. Patrick Wayne does a good job with his limited screen-time as Pat Garret (I'm not sure why he was recast for the sequel). Terrance Stamp (Zod from the Superman movies) brings a dignified, fatherly air to John Tunstall, who's murder sets the plot of the film in motion. Terry O'Quinn brings his gravitas to the role of Tunstall's ill fated attorney, Alexander McSween. Finally, Brian Keith is pitch perfect as Buckshot Roberts, his history in the genre adding an extra layer of credibility to the role.

     Young Guns is not a great western film by any means but it is worth watching. The actors (mostly) are in top form and director Christopher Cain keeps things moving at a good pace. Avoid it if your looking for an accurate retelling of the Lincoln County War or a classic western of the caliber of Lonesome Dove or Tombstone, but if you just want to be entertained (and maybe even surprised) for 100 minutes you could do worse.