After the huge success of the first film, it was greenlighted a sequel 2 years later, written again by John Fusco with filmmaker Geoff Murphy ("The Last Outlaw", "Freejack") stepping in replacing Christopher Cain and featuring the surviving cast of the first film: Emilio Estevez as "Billy the Kid"; Kiefer Sutherland as "Doc" Scurlock and Lou Diamond Phillips as Chavez y Chavez with the adding of William L. Petersen ("To Live and Die in L.A.", "Manhunter") replacing Patrick Wayne as Pat Garrett and with Alan Ruck, Balthazar Getty & Christian Slater, playing respectively Hendry "Buckshot George" W.French, Tom O'Folliard & "Arkansas" Dave Rudabaugh.
Like the first film, "Young Guns II" is based on real life characters and situations surrounding the years following the Lincoln County War, told in retrospective in 1950 by "Brushy Bill" Roberts, an old man that claimed to be the real "Billy the Kid".
In terms of its story, the movie suffers some inconsistencies as a direct sequel from the first film, like Pat Garrett played then by Patrick Wayne was already the Lincoln County Sheriff and this time the film starts with him, Billy the Kid and "Arkansas" Dave as part of a new gang of Regulators and hunters and Garrett was only nominated as Sherrif later in the film, when he betrays his friend for money and fame. By the 3rd act, it feels rushed to finish, like if either the script or the movie itself was shortened.
Aside from that, "Young Guns II" is a well-directed straight up action film, helmed by the late New Zealand filmmaker Geoff Murphy in his North American debut, and photographed again by Dean Semler, this time more au pair with the Old West in its palette of colours. The budget for this sequel was bigger, almost the double, and it looks and feels in every frame of the film: the reconstitution of the Era is much more rich and authentic, as well the panoramic shots, so the modernist touch from the first film is less proeminent and "Young Guns II" is more close to the 80's western revisionism of the 'old school meets new school', in the horse steps from such films as "Silverado" or "Pale Rider" (both '85).
Emilio Estevez plays an even more amusing "Billy the Kid" both as a young and an old man (it's him in the prologue and epilogue, hidden under heavy make-up), its visible how he loves playing the character; Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips teaming for the 3rd time, after the original film and "Renegades" ('89), but this time with less development and screentime given to their characters, maybe due to Kiefer's scheduling conflicts with another production (probably, "Flatliners" which was released the same year) and the on-set accident in which Lou broke his arm and hurt his knee. Christian Slater is the stand-out as the nasty "Arkansas" Dave Rudabaugh, the gang's roguish 2nd in command outlaw and Alan Ruck & Balthazar Getty are just (weak) fill-ins for the original gang of Regulators composed by Charlie Sheen, Casey Siemaszko & Dermot Mulroney, that didn't survive from "Young Guns".
William L. Petersen is very good in his nuanced performance as Pat Garrett, the man can even act with his eyes and facial expressions and surely looks good in a cowboy costume. The supporting cast is full of well-known character actors such as Leon Rippy, R.D. Call, Jack Kehoe, Tracey Walter, Robert Knepper and Bradley Whitford, including cameos from such screen veterans as Scott Wilson playing Governor Lew Wallace and James Coburn as John Simpson Chisum, giving the ordinance to Petersen's Pat Garrett, after himself had played the role in Sam Peckinpah cult-classic "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" ('73). Viggo Mortensen in an earlier role playing John W. Poe, a Chisum associate and Jenny Wright as the young idealist Tonk Harlot and Billy's female lover, leave a mark in the film.
The music by composers Alan Silvestri and Jon Bon Jovi is a step ahead from the previous film, including the hit song "Blaze of Glory", that went on to reach No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Jon Bon Jovi have a non speaking cameo part as one of the prisoners who gets shot in the chest and falls into the pit. He's disguised behind a dirty look of a long haired bearded captive outlaw. This was probably an in-joke cameo appearance like Tom Cruise's in the original film.
In short, "Young Guns II" is a great piece of escapism, that towers the first film in terms of production values, but kind of fails in the characters' development and the grim tone of the previous one. It was also a box office success, but Emilio and company had common sense for not trying a part III, because everything about Billy the Kid and his gang of Regulators had been told already in this two installments.
I give it an 8.
Good fun for a sunday matinee at the movies.
Like the first film, "Young Guns II" is based on real life characters and situations surrounding the years following the Lincoln County War, told in retrospective in 1950 by "Brushy Bill" Roberts, an old man that claimed to be the real "Billy the Kid".
In terms of its story, the movie suffers some inconsistencies as a direct sequel from the first film, like Pat Garrett played then by Patrick Wayne was already the Lincoln County Sheriff and this time the film starts with him, Billy the Kid and "Arkansas" Dave as part of a new gang of Regulators and hunters and Garrett was only nominated as Sherrif later in the film, when he betrays his friend for money and fame. By the 3rd act, it feels rushed to finish, like if either the script or the movie itself was shortened.
Aside from that, "Young Guns II" is a well-directed straight up action film, helmed by the late New Zealand filmmaker Geoff Murphy in his North American debut, and photographed again by Dean Semler, this time more au pair with the Old West in its palette of colours. The budget for this sequel was bigger, almost the double, and it looks and feels in every frame of the film: the reconstitution of the Era is much more rich and authentic, as well the panoramic shots, so the modernist touch from the first film is less proeminent and "Young Guns II" is more close to the 80's western revisionism of the 'old school meets new school', in the horse steps from such films as "Silverado" or "Pale Rider" (both '85).
Emilio Estevez plays an even more amusing "Billy the Kid" both as a young and an old man (it's him in the prologue and epilogue, hidden under heavy make-up), its visible how he loves playing the character; Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips teaming for the 3rd time, after the original film and "Renegades" ('89), but this time with less development and screentime given to their characters, maybe due to Kiefer's scheduling conflicts with another production (probably, "Flatliners" which was released the same year) and the on-set accident in which Lou broke his arm and hurt his knee. Christian Slater is the stand-out as the nasty "Arkansas" Dave Rudabaugh, the gang's roguish 2nd in command outlaw and Alan Ruck & Balthazar Getty are just (weak) fill-ins for the original gang of Regulators composed by Charlie Sheen, Casey Siemaszko & Dermot Mulroney, that didn't survive from "Young Guns".
William L. Petersen is very good in his nuanced performance as Pat Garrett, the man can even act with his eyes and facial expressions and surely looks good in a cowboy costume. The supporting cast is full of well-known character actors such as Leon Rippy, R.D. Call, Jack Kehoe, Tracey Walter, Robert Knepper and Bradley Whitford, including cameos from such screen veterans as Scott Wilson playing Governor Lew Wallace and James Coburn as John Simpson Chisum, giving the ordinance to Petersen's Pat Garrett, after himself had played the role in Sam Peckinpah cult-classic "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" ('73). Viggo Mortensen in an earlier role playing John W. Poe, a Chisum associate and Jenny Wright as the young idealist Tonk Harlot and Billy's female lover, leave a mark in the film.
The music by composers Alan Silvestri and Jon Bon Jovi is a step ahead from the previous film, including the hit song "Blaze of Glory", that went on to reach No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Jon Bon Jovi have a non speaking cameo part as one of the prisoners who gets shot in the chest and falls into the pit. He's disguised behind a dirty look of a long haired bearded captive outlaw. This was probably an in-joke cameo appearance like Tom Cruise's in the original film.
In short, "Young Guns II" is a great piece of escapism, that towers the first film in terms of production values, but kind of fails in the characters' development and the grim tone of the previous one. It was also a box office success, but Emilio and company had common sense for not trying a part III, because everything about Billy the Kid and his gang of Regulators had been told already in this two installments.
I give it an 8.
Good fun for a sunday matinee at the movies.