Wild Bill (1995)

The early career of legendary lawman Wild Bill Hickock is telescoped and culminates in his relocation in Deadwood and a reunion with Calamity Jane.

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

Peter Dexter (book), Thomas Babe (play),

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Ellen Barkin, John Hurt

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Bridges	...	James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok
Ellen Barkin	...	Calamity Jane
John Hurt	...	Charley Prince
Diane Lane	...	Susannah Moore
Keith Carradine	...	Buffalo Bill Cody
David Arquette	...	Jack McCall
Christina Applegate	...	Lurline Newcomb
Bruce Dern	...	Will Plummer
James Gammon	...	California Joe
Marjoe Gortner	...	Preacher
James Remar	...	Donnie Lonigan
Karen Huie	...	Song Lew
Steve Reevis	...	Sioux Chief
Robert Knott	...	Dave Tutt
Pato Hoffmann	...	Cheyenne Leader

Storyline

Wild Bill Hickok, famed lawman and gunman of the Old West, is haunted by his past and his reputation. He is loved by, but cannot love, Calamity Jane. Dogging his trail is young Jack McCall, who blames Bill for abandoning the boy's mother and destroying her life. McCall has sworn to kill Bill, and Bill's ghosts, his failing eyesight, and his fondness for opium may make McCall's task easier.

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Plot Keywords:

calamity jane | opium | funeral | split lip | deadwood south dakota | 

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Taglines:

Take a walk on the wild side.

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for wild West violence and a sex scene

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Sioux Cantonese

Release Date:

1 December 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Divlji Bil

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$2,167,808 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists, Zanuck Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

More than 30 years earlier, the part of Wild Bill Hickok was played by Jeff Bridges' father, Lloyd Bridges, in a 1964 episode of the television series _"The Great Adventure" (1963)_.

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Goofs

Jack McCall was not a callow youth but a rough buffalo hunter whose nickname was "Broken Nose Jack". Furthermore, he was not the son of Susannah Moore.

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Quotes

[Will Plummer sends in a woman to challenge Wild Bill to a gunfight]
James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok: What did he say?
Woman in bar: He said that you were a horse molester.
James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok: He say what horse?

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Connections

References The Plainsman (1936)

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Soundtracks

"Battle Hymn of the Republic"

User Reviews

Muddy, angry, two-fisted tale of revenge in the Old West...

Historians may scoff, but Walter Hill's "Wild Bill" is an absorbing and intriguing western with elegiac overtures yet much of the emphasis placed on the battles. Jeff Bridges does a fine job as scruffy, mangy, weathered James Butler Hickok in the 1870s Midwest, getting into brutal fights while doing nothing more than standing at a bar (John Hurt's narration tells us, "Being 'Wild' Bill was in itself a profession."). Ellen Barkin plays Calamity Jane like a lovestruck toughie who clucks behind Hickok, waiting for a commitment; David Arquette is Jack McCall, a young man defending the honor of his mother, whom Hickok loved and left. Occasionally, director Hill hits a stumbling block (there's an inconsequential bit with Keith Carradine as Buffalo Bill Cody which disconnects the mood, and also a black-and-white flashback filmed in high-contrast where Hickok attempts to talk sensibly with a no-nonsense Indian tribe). Still, the hand and gun bouts are fully charged with adrenaline, and there's a genuine feel for these sad, meandering people that recalls strong sections from other westerns, particularly "McCabe and Mrs. Miller". A bumpy film, but not a bad one at all. **1/2 from ****