The Left Handed Gun (1958)

After his employer is murdered by rival cattlemen, a troubled and uneducated young cowboy vows revenge on the murderers.

Director:

Arthur Penn

Writers:

Leslie Stevens (screenplay), Gore Vidal (play)

Stars:

Paul Newman, Lita Milan, John Dehner

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Newman	...	Billy The Kid
Lita Milan	...	Celsa
John Dehner	...	Pat Garrett
Hurd Hatfield	...	Moultrie
James Congdon	...	Charlie Boudre
James Best	...	Tom Folliard
Colin Keith-Johnston	...	Tunstall
John Dierkes	...	McSween
Robert Anderson	...	Hill (as Bob Anderson)
Wally Brown	...	Deputy Moon
Ainslie Pryor	...	Joe Grant
Martin Garralaga	...	Saval
Denver Pyle	...	Ollinger
Paul Smith	...	Smith
Nestor Paiva	...	Pete Maxwell

Storyline

William Bonney - Billy the Kid - gets a job with a cattleman known as 'The Englishman,' and is befriended by the peaceful, religious man. But when a crooked sheriff and his men murder the Englishman because he plans to supply the local Army fort with his beef, Billy decides to avenge the death by killing the four men responsible, throwing the lives of everyone around him - Tom and Charlie, two hands he worked with; Pat Garrett, who is about to be married; and the kindly Mexican couple who take him in when he's in trouble - into turmoil, and endangering the General Amnesty set up by Governor Wallace to bring peace to the New Mexico Territory.

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Plot Keywords:

revisionist western | revenge | sheriff | cattleman | lew wallace | 

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Taglines:

I don't run. I don't hide. I go where I want. I do what I want.

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

17 May 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Billy the Kid

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Warner Bros. Ranch - 411 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Haroll Productions,Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

contains the first ever shooting of a character in slow motion (albeit very briefly) in a US movie.

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Goofs

The film is about western outlaw Billy the Kid, who was in fact right-handed.

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Quotes

Billy The Kid: They had me dead! That amnesty - that's for THEM! For Moon and hill and Grant! They walk around! I'm buried! They put dimes on my eyes!

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Connections

Version of Young Guns (1988)

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Soundtracks

Rock of Ages
(uncredited)
Lyrics by Augustus Montague Toplady and music by Thomas Hastings

User Reviews

Right-Handed.

Arthur Penn directed this obscure(and umpteenth) filming of the story of Billy The Kid(William Bonny) Paul Newman(utterly miscast) plays Billy as a misunderstood and pensive youth who merely wanted to avenge the death of his employer, an expatriate Englishman and cattle rancher murdered by a corrupt sheriff and his men because they didn't want the competition. Billy hunts down and kills the men responsible, but becomes a wanted criminal as a result. His friend and lawman Pat Garret(played by John Dehner) reluctantly pursues him, as Billy's fame grows... Terrible film is unbearably slow and uninteresting; a real chore to sit through, and misinformed title makes it look even worse!