Bill Il Sanguinario

With this film Audie Murphy achieved another distinction besides being our most decorated war hero. Having played young Jesse James in Kansas Raiders, Murphy then played the second great outlaw name of the old west Billy The Kid in The Kid From Texas. Among many of the other inaccuracies of this film is the fact that Billy The Kid was not from Texas. He was born Henry McCarty in New York City and went west and became William H. Bonney. And as his outlaw reputation grew he became Billy The Kid.

Next to Robert Taylor's Billy The Kid this may yet be the most inaccurate retelling of the Kid's life. In fact the story is so confusing that there's no doubt Murphy is one dangerous young man, but he's so appealing that we don't know what to think. Whether by accident or design that left me quite confused.

Only three people's names were left as they were in life. Billy The Kid, Pat Garrett played here by Frank Wilcox who is really a peripheral character to the main drama and Governor Lew Wallace of New Mexico territory played by Robert Barrat. Everyone else you've seen in such films as Pat Garrett&Billy The Kid, Chisum, The Left Handed Gun or the Young Guns films has had his and her name changed.

Sheppard Strudwick, Albert Dekker, Ray Teal, Paul Ford, Will Geer, and William Talman all are in this. You'll note Talman who is a particularly vicious outlaw who gets a personal vendetta against Murphy going and pays in the end.

As to why Billy just didn't clear out of the territory once it got hot for him, just think of those last lines of King Kong and you'll know why.

The real attraction here is war hero Audie Murphy in one of his first starring roles. Naturally, the Western format best fit his military background and acting inexperience, so its no surprise that his movie career was built on a succession of similar B-oaters. Nonetheless, there would have been no Hollywood career, I believe, without his boyish good looks that had hardly faded at the point of his untimely death (1971). True, he was small, hardly imposing in the usual Hollywood style. But he could work up a cold-eyed stare with the best of them, and coming from that baby face, the contrast was especially startling. It's that disconnect between the boyish appearance and the intimidating manner that's so unusual.

The movie itself is unexceptional, supposedly based on historical fact; however, Hollywood has its own set of history books, particularly when it comes to Billy the Kid. The producers fortunately had the good sense to back up the inexperienced Murphy (he would loosen up with practice) with a strong supporting cast—Dekker, Geer, Strudwick, Barrat. On the other hand, there may be too much malt shop in Gale Storm for a Western, but visually she matches up well with Murphy. Anyway, there's enough Technicolor scenery, big shootouts, and even a slippery villain, to keep matinée fans like me happy.

An excellent but non-too-accurate story, given strong production, and featuring Audie Murphy, in his first starring role. Murphy's a bit wooden, but he delivers. Entertaining.

During the 1930s-50s, there were tons of westerns which brought actual living characters from the old west to the big screen. The problem, however, is that about 90% of what you see in these films has very little to do with the real life exploits of these minor characters. In many cases, sociopathic jerks like Jesse James, Butch Cassidy and Billy the Kid are elevated to almost heroic status...while in real life they were simply murderers and thieves...the type you really want in prison, not marrying your sister!

This film is Audie Murphy's chance to play one of these highly fictionalized real life people. He was not a bad choice, as Murphy was still young and short...and so playing a guy dubbed 'the Kid' was a good fit. He's good in it and the movie is entertaining.

The story follows the events, somewhat, from the so-called 'Lincoln County War'...a series of fights between wealthy ranchers in the New Mexico Territory. Mostly, it was one thug shooting another...no glory and if they could shoot you in the back, so much the better. But because they want to make Billy more likeable, the shooting unarmed folks and the like are eliminated and each of the MANY murders he commits seems reasonably justified.

Overall, a decent film but one you'd best see as fiction and not the real old west in any way. And, oddly, if you want to see Billy the Kid's grave, there are TWO of them in New Mexico today...something that confuses me!

Audie Murphy's first western for Universal is a blank-faced version of the story of Billy the Kid that white-washes almost everyone. The script tries to push a few romantic notes into the narrative, with him and Gale Storm obviously falling in love instantly, but neither of them doing anything about it, because she's married to Albert Dekker. Dekker himself has the best role as a guy wh wants to do the right thing, but is too weak-willed to stand up for anything under pressure.

I don't know if it was that way in the script, but Murphy's playing of Bnney, the lack of explanations or, indeed, many lines works well. I imagine director Kurt Neuman cut his lines and told him to under-react. The result is a simple, effective portrayal of someone wh feigns passivity, when what he really wants to do is kill.