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:

Casey Siemaszko plays Charlie, a Pugilistic cowboy, who happens to be "handy" with his fists. In Of Mice and Men (1992), Casey Siemaszko plays Curley, a rancher's son, who is "handy" with his fists.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Billy hands Alex the picture of himself, Billy's thumb is by his head in the photo, When he drops his arm, you can clearly see he is holding the picture by the feet.

Quotes:

"Dirty Steve" Stephens: Damn good riding with you, Chavez.
Chavez: Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're all right...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Planet Terror (2007)

Not bad, not bad at all

This film stars many of the fine young actors that are coming of age today. They were good in this film. This film is primarily about youth and how it can be lost so quickly, so easily. All of these guys became men too young and lost their chance for youth. And they paid for it. This is also about good and evil. Emelio Estevez is excellent as the more or less evil Billy the Kid. He and the others (Keifer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Lou Diamond Phillips are given a chance to become "good" after straying from the right path. When their benefactor is murdered, they seek revenge and they get it "their way", and in the process, become wanted men. The acting is the strength here, not the story. These young guns grew up to become great actors, every one of them. This is an excellent example of their best early work.