Young Guns (1988)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Christopher Cain

Writer (WGA):

John Fusco (written by)

Release Date:

12 August 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller | Western

Tagline:

Six reasons why the west was wild.

Plot:

A group of young gunmen, led by Billy the Kid, become deputies to avenge the murder of the rancher who became their benefactor. But when Billy takes their authority too far, they become the hunted.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Sheriff | Attorney | Mexico | Ranch

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Emilio Estevez	...	William H. 'Billy the Kid' Bonney
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Josiah Gordon 'Doc' Scurlock
Lou Diamond Phillips	...	'Jose' Chavez y Chavez
Charlie Sheen	...	Richard 'Dick' Brewer
Dermot Mulroney	...	Dirty Steve Stephens
Casey Siemaszko	...	Charles 'Charley' Bowdre
Terence Stamp	...	John Tunstall
Jack Palance	...	Lawrence G. Murphy
Terry O'Quinn	...	Alex McSween
Sharon Thomas	...	Susan McSween
Geoffrey Blake	...	J. McCloskey
Alice Carter	...	Yen Sun
Brian Keith	...	Buckshot Roberts
Thomas Callaway	...	Texas Joe Grant (as Tom Callaway)
Patrick Wayne	...	Patrick Floyd 'Pat' Garrett

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 (nf) | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bonanza Creek Ranch - 15 Bonanza Creek Lane, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Morgan Creek Productions

Trivia:

It is widely believed that Billy the Kid's real name was William H. Bonney. However, the film is correct in listing that as only one of his aliases, and giving his real name as Henry McCarty.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the final battle, Billy is shown being shot left arm, when this happens you can see sparks come out from the arm from the rig that makes the explosion

Quotes:

William H. Bonney: Murphy's taking inventory in Tunstall's store right now and you're saying that means nothing to you?
Chavez: It means nothing to me? Murphy and his politicians have taken more blood from me than they ever will from you.
William H. Bonney: How do you figure?
Chavez: The Red Sands Creek Reservation. 200 people butchered in the snow with their stomachs empty. My mother's people. You see, Murphy was under government contract to supply us with beef, but two winters ago, he sent only rotten meat. No corn, no flour, just rancid beef crawling with worms...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Long Ranger & Tonton: Shooting Stars of the West (1989)

Decent Western

There are plenty of other great, better westerns out there such as: Tombstone and Butch Cassidy, but this one isn't bad. It has a good cast, decent action, and decent scenery. I like most westerns, so I decided to> check this one out, and I wasn't disappointed. If you like westerns and are not too picky, you'll enjoy this one. 6.4 out of 10 sounds about right.