Huievest
Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.
Invaderbank
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Bessie Smyth
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
vincentlynch-moonoi
When I first began watching this film, I was so unimpressed I almost turned it off. It's a rare Western that today holds my attention. But I'm glad I stuck with it because, on balance, it's a very good film.But let me start with what I don't like about the film. First, it's another one of those movies that try to resurrect the reputation of an outlaw, in this case Billy The Kid. It almost tries to portray Billy as just a poor misunderstood young man. Baloney.And then there is some of the photography. On the one hand, an apparently, big budget Western with beautiful color photography, some of it filmed in Monument Valley and Sedona. On the other hand, some of the closeups of riding horses were so fake looking as to be funny, and some of the matte work was very fake looking.But what makes this film stand apart is the performance by Robert Taylor. It's the main thing that kept me watching. Taylor was able to show Billy's dark nature by a certain look on his face...a slightly disturbed look. He showed great immaturity and petulance. It was quite compelling.The supporting cast is quite good, as well. Brian Donlevy, who I felt had a somewhat uneven career, is quite good as Billy's friend, who shoots him in the end. Ian Hunter as a rancher is excellent, and I have always enjoyed his performances in films. Gene Lockhart has a bit of a different role here -- as the bad guy! Lon Chaney, Jr. is here, as one of the bad guys, but although a typical role for him, not the way I like to see Chaney. And, it's always a treat to see Henry O'Neill in a film, here as a newspaper editor.Of course, there's a question about historical accuracy. I recommend you read a brief history of Billy The Kid (e.g., Wikipedia). Taylor is too old for Billy; Billy was only 21 when he died. However, much of the story loosely follows history. What's depicted is the Lincoln County War in New Mexico; so, wrong state in terms of scenery. Sheriff Pat Garrett, for some reason, has a completely different name here -- Jim Sherwood. And how Billy dies in this film is not anywhere near the truth.However, all considered, this is quite an impressive Western, and well worth watching.
Headhunter32746
This movie is Billy the Kid in name only. Anyone who has any kind of fascination with the Wild West or the historical William H. Bonney would do well to shy away from this flick. Almost all of the names have been switched around, the plot shares only a marginal familiarity with the true Billy and the lead actor Robert Taylor seems better suited for playing a 1930's era Chicago gangster than he does playing one of the most famous outlaws of all time.Now that I've got my historical accuracy niggling out of the way - I still find myself unable to say many positive things about this film. But I'll give it a shot.Some of the dialogue is rather inventive - and I do actually appreciate the relationship that Billy shares with ranch herder Eric Keating. There's an interesting exchange during Keating's introduction wherein he explains to a wary-eyed Billy why he doesn't carry a gun. Keating's naiveté rests upon a mythological ideal of frontier honor - an ideal that comes with a heavy price.The movie itself is also wonderfully shot. The Technicolor treatment produces stunning visuals that can easily compare to westerns that are produced ten, fifteen, sometimes even twenty years after Billy the Kid.Sadly, there simply isn't a lot of material available for Billy the Kid enthusiasts. Again, do NOT refer to this movie if you are looking to find insight into the true story of Billy the Kid. The closest you will probably come towards finding the definitive Billy story is in the 1988 fluff film, "Young Guns" and its subsequent continuation in "Young Guns II" - and even they take great spoonfuls of poetic license with history.
mamalv
Billy the Kid is the first of many westerns that Robert Taylor starred in, and boy did he find his nitch in the entertainment field. The film was loosely based on the book The Saga of Billy the Kid, by Walter Noble Burns. Although the real Kid was ruthless and a cold blooded killer, it is known that he did find some peace with a rancher who took him in and tried to help reform him. He rides into town to save Pedro, his friend, from jail and falls into the company of Dan Hickey played by Gene Lockhart in a rather ominous role of a crook. Billy goes to work for Hickey, and starts trouble for rancher Sherwood, played by Ian Hunter. Hunter is great as the laid back rancher who takes Billy in and persuades him to stop running. Brian Donlevy is Billy's boyhood friend who is the foreman of the ranch and later the marshal. Mary Howard is Hunter's sister and Donlevy's fiancée, but is strangely attracted to Billy. They never have a romance, but it is refreshing to see Billy's innocence with her. When Hunter is killed by the Hickey people, Billy goes on the rampage and kills all including shooting Hickey in the back. The most outstanding scene is the last when Billy is waiting for Donlevey, his blue eyes the only thing you see in the darkened shed. Of course he dies at the hands of his best friend. I think this role established that Taylor could play good and evil equally well, as he went on to do his best film Johnny Eager a couple of years later. The wonderful color photography is only dimmed by the magnificent looks of a young Robert Taylor, his blue eyes as icy as the role he played. This is a don't miss for all fans of great westerns. A note of interest is that Taylor practiced for months to fast draw with his left hand. In every western he made he would switch from left hand to right hand draw.
JimB-4
You can count on one hand the things this film has in common with the real story of Billy the Kid, but if you aren't thrown off by inaccuracy, then this is a wonderfully entertaining and finely portrayed depiction of the Kid. Robert Taylor is really superb in a role he's nearly a decade too old for. He's hard-bitten and tough as nails, but the hurt inside is clear without being overplayed. I've never thought of Robert Taylor as ever being underrated, but if ever he was, it's in this. Taylor and the dialog, which is hard-boiled and doesn't always go where you'd expect it to go, are the real points of interest in this movie, along with some geographically wide-ranging Technicolor photography that is luscious to look at. The other aspects of the movie are pretty standard fare, some less bearable than others. But Taylor is a revelation here. This picture is well worth watching. Just don't think you're seeing the true story of Billy the Kid.
