O Pequeno Billy

Gritty, grimy life on the frontier. I'm a history buff that concentrates on the personal causes of why people do what they do. Alienated New York teen, cultural shock, with cold, judgmental father and smothery mother, it's easy to see how Billy could fall in the loop of Goldie & Berle who listen and nurture him albeit perversely. The cool, well adjusted characters of the Golden Age of Hollywood Westerns, in their sanitary, back-lot sets likely bore little resemblance what the true west was like. In the same line, serial killers,(basically what those outlaws were) then as now, are troubled little wimps who validate themselves by destroying others. We may all enjoy Emilio Esteves'"Young Guns" portrayal of the slick shootist defying all odds, history's reality of the true Billy, such as the ambush shotgun slaying of Bob Ollinger,is closer the the character morphed from Michael J. Pollard's trouble interpretation. It was interesting to see the Italian Replica Walker Revolver converted to fire cartridge blanks. I wonder if this was the same prop used in True Grit & Outlaw Josie Wales, all movies of roughly same era,.

Totally loved this film. the acting was fantastic, especially lee purcell, but michael j pollard did a great job, too. it's an interesting film. billy's just a kid in this before he's the kid. it's grimy. we have these romanticized notions about outlaws, but this film doesn't romanticize them or life in the old west at all. it's quite raw, rough around the edges, but genuine. i have no clue why this doesn't have a higher rating?

the cinematography is stunning; the way light was captured balances out the grimness of the characters. the soundtrack matches the tone of the film. my main critique is that the plot of the movie could've been reworked. it doesn't really flow and at times, it seems like the actors were left to carry the story. all in all, surprisingly refreshing for a dark look at the wild west - it's not your typical western, but it's probably a lot closer to reality than most of us like to watch.

This realistic and harsh re-telling of the Billy the Kid myth is definitely worth anyone's time. Pollard is perfect as a none-too-bright Western punk who unfortunately became infamous. It stars the beautiful Lee Purcell and Gary Busey in a supporting role. Arthur Penn's Left-Handed Gun was very good and this is the second best version of that often-botched story of this kid.

Great and grungy cinematography, true-to-life costume design, interesting soundtrack and authentic western types in a downbeat, almost Cassavetes-like version of the tale. A 7 out of 10. Best performance = Michael J. Pollard. If you can find it, check this moody piece of Western Americana. One of Pollard's best films!

Back in the ancient 1970's, only the high budget pictures had production designers. The others had to rely on the cinematographer to make sure the art director, the set designer, and the make-up/costume people were all on the same page; so that the picture had a consistent look. Ralph Woolsey was one of the better cinematographers at keeping all these elements under control. He was a busy guy in 1972 and two of his pictures were westerns: "Dirty Little Billy" was made right after "The Culpepper Cattle Company"- arguably one of the top ten westerns of all time. And while "CCC" is significantly better than "DLB", they share beautiful cinematography and production design (may have literally shared it because they probably used the same stuff in both productions).

It became popular after Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" (1971) to replace the well-scrubbed Roy Rogers look and portray the west as dirty, dusty, gritty, unshaven, and tattered. Woolsey eagerly embraced this realism and gave us two of the grimiest features we are likely to see. Perhaps the most entertaining thing about "DLB" was the casting of Lee Purcell as the seediest looking western heroine of all time. Compared to "Berle", Susan Tyrell's saloon gal "Alma" ("Shoot Out") was a tidy sorority girl. You might expect this look from Barbara Hershey, but Purcell was deservingly typecast as prissy/demure so the movie is worth a look just to imagine her inwardly cringing each time she had to make an appearance on the set.

The story itself is extreme historical distortion, but so moronic as to render itself harmless. Still, it is puzzling that they bothered to give it the appearance of being history, as it would have worked fine as fiction. It has a nice surprise ending and several soon-to-be-famous-in-television actors; Mills Watson would go on to great things as bumbling Deputy Perkins in the many "Sheriff Lobo" programs and Dick Van Patten would play father "Tom Bradford" on "Eight Is Enough".

Forgotten little western about young slacker Billy arriving in the West from New York and not wanting anything to do with his father's crop-work. After being banished by his father he wanders aimlessly through town and finds a mentor in the town outlaw Goldie. Not the Billy the Kid story were familiar with; Billy is a dirty, chubby-cheeked kid who doesn't have a care in the world and gets shaky every time he attempts to fire a gun. The film has a terrific feel to it with grainy brown and black colors. Dirty is an appropriate word for the ambiance of the movie. Not much story per se, but the film is well acted especially by Pollard who looks and acts as though he is a rabid puppy. Some jarring moments of violence and a terrific ending. Worth a look if you're a western fan.

*** out of ****