La vera storia di Billy the Kid

Interesting and enjoyable is Gore Vidal's retelling of the saga of William Bonney(Val Kilmer) and his friend-turned-nemesis Pat Garrett(Duncan Regehr).This TV project is better in quality than your average western/cowboy fare. The volatile Billy the Kid seems a likable menace; although quick to put holes in his victims. Kilmer mumbled most of his dialogue; intentional or just annoying? Wilford Brimley is excellent as the Governor of New Mexico. Rene Auberjonois is a convincing drunk. Also in support are Julie Carman, the love interest, along with Michael Parks and veteran character actor Albert Salmi. And the first cowpoke that Billy blows away is Red West, a very good stunt man and notable as one of Elvis Presley's body guards. There are more unbelievable Billy the Kid yarns out there. This one is pretty classy and intelligent.

I don't care for movies that play fast and loose with history. This movie does its best on a small budget to get the basic story of Billy the Kid (and Pat Garrett, et. Al.) right. If you want lots of action, look elsewhere. This movie does show the main events in the Kid's "career," but it doesn't add anything. Val Kilmer is stunning, and the other actors do fine work as well. This movie is believable, which is what I want from a movie that is retelling history. I think Kilmer's portrayal of the Kid makes the most sense. Marlon Brando played a character based on the Kid in One Eyed Jacks, and I wonder if Kilmer studied that movie at all. Some things he does here remind me of Brando.

This is a great movie and Val Kilmer and Gore Vidal deserve all the credit. Kilmer seems to have the expertise of becoming the character in real depth. Vidal, according to several history sites, has the most accurate story to the truth. All the other movies done on Billy the Kid try to put more action in the storyline than what would be more realistic, not that it makes the other movies bad. I would love to see this version of the Kid remastered and put out on DVD/Blue Ray. I have looked everywhere for a copy of this film on DVD but had no luck. I love the Billy the Kid movies, stories, and controversies. It is a very interesting story with the plain facts that they do not need all the action pack fillers. This did seem to be a more realistic version that I highly recommend.

The movie has the feel of a sort of made-for-TV B-movie. It's more drama than action, focusing primarily on the interpersonal interactions. But it gives an interesting perspective on Billy the Kid. I have no idea how historically accurate it might be, however.

Val Kilmer portrays Billy the Kid as a rather backwoods, laid-back country bumpkin. Unlike a lot of Val's characters which are portrayed intensely and over-the-edge, he shows a totally different side of his acting abilities.

Overall, I was rather positively surprised with the movie, expecting it to be intense, moody and aggressive. But it's not, at all. It's simply an enjoyably different portrayal of Billy the Kid, not an outstanding movie but enjoyable just the same. I'm giving it a 6 on the ratings, about low-average for my rating, but I'm glad I watched it. If you're a Kilmer fan, it'll give you a whole different view of Val's multi-talented acting.

William H. Bonney, also known to many as Billy the Kid, was one of the greatest gunfighters that ever lived, and already at the age of 19, was an outlaw. In every story written about Billy the Kid, they all revolve around the same example or explanations. (Pat killed Billy, Billy killed 21 men-one for each year of his life, was a ladies' man, one of the 'greats,' etc.) Val Kilmer did a descent job playing the Kid, and the movie served its purpose well. 7 out of 10.