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:

Don't count the odds, count the bodies.

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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

In the audio commentary Casey Siemaszko reveals the prostitute Charlie goes to see was actually a longer scene, and the end of the scene he tells the guys the women was his mother.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Yen Sun: You look like trouble.
Doc: Trouble? I'm a poet, with flowers of all things.
Yen Sun: And a gun... it's a big gun.
Doc: It's a big town. Come on Yin, all I want is a chance.

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Connections

Referenced in Freddy's Nightmares: The Light at the End of the Tunnel (1989)

User Reviews

A pack of young stars take on the western legend known as Billy the Kid.

The year is 1870 and the place is Lincoln County in New Mexico territory. A young William H. Bonney is rescued from a possible hanging by John Tunstall, who befriends the youth and makes him part of the family of young guns known as Regulators. This puts Billy in the midst of a territorial dispute between Tunstall and the Santa Fe Ring, led by Lawrence G. Murphy, villainously portrayed by Jack Palance. Another western legend, Pat Garrett, is played by Patrick Wayne, the son, of course, of John Wayne.

After the killing of Tunstall by Murphy's henchmen, the Regulators and Billy hit on all cylinders in extracting revenge for the slaughter of their benefactor. The Regulators are branded as outlaws, and the "legal forces" of Murphy attempt to pare them down to nothing. This leads to a final shootout on the streets of Lincoln, and very few of the original Regulators escape, which leads to the sequel of "Young Guns," appropriately called "Young Guns II." The cast of young and upcoming Hollywood stars include Emilio Estevez as Billy, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Lou Diamond Phillips, Casey Siemaszko, and Dermot Mulroney.

One final note: the DVD includes as part of its special features section a Trivia Track, which flashes western facts and information about the stars or the characters being portrayed on screen without detracting from the viewing of the film. This is worth seeing and owning.