Set in 1880s New Mexico this film tells the story of Sheriff Pat Garrett and his hunt for his old friend, the outlaw William H. Bonney... aka 'Billy the Kid'. Early on Pat catches up with Billy and arrests him but he isn't in custody for long as he escapes from the jail in the town of Lincoln, killing two deputies in the process. Billy reunites with friends and head off. Garrett is soon looking for him again and it is only a matter of time before the two will meet again... before then though many other people will die.
As one might expect from Sam Peckinpah there are some bloody moments; most notably when Billy guns down a deputy with a shotgun loaded with dimes. Still by today's standards the blood shed is fairly mild. The plot is fairly simple without twists and turns; that suits the subject matter though. Neither of the two protagonists are particularly sympathetic; both are quick on the draw and aren't too bothered by killing people... in fact nobody seems bothered by the violent deaths; children watch as men are gunned down in the street. James Coburn impresses as Garrett and Kris Kristofferson is solid, if a little old, as Billy the Kid. The rest of the cast, which includes many familiar faces is pretty good; even singer Bob Dylan, who also provided the film's music, puts in a good turn as a man who calls himself 'Alias'. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to people who like their westerns gritty with morally ambiguous characters rather than obvious heroes and villains.
As one might expect from Sam Peckinpah there are some bloody moments; most notably when Billy guns down a deputy with a shotgun loaded with dimes. Still by today's standards the blood shed is fairly mild. The plot is fairly simple without twists and turns; that suits the subject matter though. Neither of the two protagonists are particularly sympathetic; both are quick on the draw and aren't too bothered by killing people... in fact nobody seems bothered by the violent deaths; children watch as men are gunned down in the street. James Coburn impresses as Garrett and Kris Kristofferson is solid, if a little old, as Billy the Kid. The rest of the cast, which includes many familiar faces is pretty good; even singer Bob Dylan, who also provided the film's music, puts in a good turn as a man who calls himself 'Alias'. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to people who like their westerns gritty with morally ambiguous characters rather than obvious heroes and villains.