Young Guns (1988)

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.

Director:

Christopher Cain

Writer:

John Fusco

Stars:

Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Cain	...	Susan McSween (as Sharon Thomas)
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

Storyline

1878 in New Mexico: John Tunstall picks up young gun men from the road to have them work on his ranch, but also to teach them reading and to civilize them. However he's a thorn in the side of the rich rancher Murphy, as he's a competitor in selling cattle. One day he's shot by Murphy's men. Judge Wilson can't do anything, since Sheriff Brady is one of Murphy's men. But attorney Alex persuades him to constitute Tunstall's young friends to Deputies and give them warrants of arrest for the murderers. Instead of arresting them, William Bonney just shoots them down. Soon the 5 guys become famous and William gets the name "Billie the Kid" - but they're also chased by dozens of Murphy's men and the army. The people however honor him as fighter for justice.

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Plot Keywords:

rancher | deputy | sheriff | new mexico | cattle | 

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Taglines:

The odds were a hundred to one.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller | Western

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 August 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jovenes Pistoleros

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$44,726,644 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Like virtually all movies about the events surrounding the Lincoln County War, John Tunstall (Terence Stamp) is incorrectly depicted as an older, sophisticated man. In reality, John Tunstall was only 24 years old when he was murdered. He was in fact younger than most of the regulators. By contrast, Josiah "Doc" Scurlock (Kiefer Sutherland) was 31 at the time of Tunstall's murder and Richard "Dick" Brewer (Charley Sheen) was 27. Only the youngest regulator, William H. Bonney, aka Bill the Kid (Emilio Estevez) was younger, being 20 at the time of the Lincoln County War.

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Goofs

Billy the Kid was not left handed as stated through out the movie but was actually right handed. The left handed myth was spawned by a photograph that turned out to be reversed. At the time this film was made, it was not yet known the photo was reversed.

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Quotes

Richard Brewer: Papers can't do anything right.

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Connections

Referenced in Grindhouse (2007)

User Reviews

Six reasons why the west was wild...

I remember watching the original Young Guns as a teen, and remember the days when the Brat Pack ruled the silver screen... From the exciting music video-like intro to the action-filled finale, there's non-stop action as a group of youngmen fight their way to stop the corruption in Lincoln County, New Mexico, in this wildly entertaining, modern-day western!

I really enjoyed Emilio Estevez's confident portrayal of Billy the Kid, as well as having his brother Charlie Sheen along for the ride. Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips blaze the trail as Doc and Chavez, Billy's faithful companions. The legendary Jack Palance makes one mean, megalomaniacal villain in this film, in an Oscar-worthy performance that rivals his role in "The City Slickers."

In all honesty, this along with its stellar sequel "Young Guns II" are my two favorite western films of all time. The cast of the then young actors make you laugh and cry, as their plight and cause is revealed throughout their adventure. If you are a child of the 80's, who grew up on "The Outsiders" and "The Breakfast Club," then I highly recommend you to checkout this film. I give it 10* out of 10*.