Kid: O Estranho Vingador

Perhaps a bit cheesy at times, but I do believe it's the best revenge movie I've seen. I've only had the chance to see it once and would like to see it again, to possibly reaffirm my high opinion of the flick, but it's a hard one to come by.

My review was written in April 1991 after watching the movie on Live video cassette.

C. Thomas Howell makes the transition from teen heartthrob to screen tough guy with okay results in "Kid", a routine vengeance melodrama that is being released directly to the video market Stateside.

Lesle Bohem's well-designed but highly derivative script recalls elements of Eastwood Westerns as well as John Sturges' "Bad Day at Black Rock".

Howell breezes into the small town of White Brush in a mythic cloud of dust. As flashbacks reveal, he returned to avenge his parents' murder by so-called respectable townsfolk.

Howell is a convincing antihero who systematically kills the villains in creative ways. He falls in love with young dreamboat Sarah Trigger whose father predictably turns out to be one of the murderers.

Blessed with a good cast, including reliable R. Lee Ermey as a particularly hissble sheriff, film sufers from an unconvincing finale. Also annoying is Tim Truman's repetitive music that fails in its attempt to conjure up Ennio Morricone's grandiose Western scores.

A neo-Western with the charismatic C. Thomas Howell surpassing his other notable performances as Ponyboy in The Outsiders and the lawyer/volleyball stud in Side Out. Kid will always have a spot on my video shelf as I caught it back in the day while I was still in the early years of High School and I loved it then and love it now. It even has David Silver as an outdated Metalhead who speaks in 80s cliches, and the gorgeous older sister who makes washing a horse look like the most appetizing chore this side of the Mississippi. Topping off the cast is the drill Sergeant from Full Metal Jacket and Dale Dye, both adding credibility to what could have been an otherwise cheap Cinemax snooze-fest. A lean, well-paced and sometimes laughable "flick" that could have benefited from a more intense climax, but works very well within its own means.

This has become one of my favorite movies. This is partly because I am the biggest C. Thomas Howell fan out there. The plot: young man comes back to get revenge on the people who killed his parents when he was still a kid. The scene of their death is so sad. This movie makes you laugh, cry, and grab the edge of your seat. The inside joke with the dog is really cute. The romance between the Kid and the leading lady (Sarah Trigger-terrific job) is so sweet. Even though I don't believe in getting revenge, especially when it has to do with murder, I felt very sorry the main character. It shows a great sign of talent a viewer feels compasion for a character whether or not that person agrees with the action he/she takes in the movie. Rent it, buy it, see it. You won't be sorry.

Okay. I'm a C. Thomas Howell fan. Always have been. From his newer B movies (red team, Avalanche) to his old movies. (The Outsiders, Side Out) And this movie is by far the best of the bunch. It starts out with an eeriy feel to it as The Kid steps off the bus in the center of the desert like town. Its a great movie though some of the acting is bad (the brothers) its a movie that will always be on my shelf and will be in my vcr alot as well. 7/10