Kid: O Estranho Vingador

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 It even has David Silver as an outdated Metalhead who speaks in 80s cliches, and the gorgeous older sister who makes washing a horse look like the most appetizing chore this side of the Mississippi.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 was a pretty fun little movie, but mostly I just wanted to point out the mis-credit.

I was hired by a friend of mine (at the time) named Steve Allen, to do some "guitar pyrotechnics" for Metal Louie in the bar scene (pretty funny stuff). I did the gig, and then years later see on IMDb that my work gets credited to Steve Allen, who wasn't even a guitar player!!! I have no way of changing the credit, but at least I can make a statement here, and put it on my own IMDb page and resume.

Sorry for vanity post, but I was pretty proud of that little bit of work, especially in 1991 when that sort of playing was at its height.

Cheers, Christopher Burns

This straightforward revenge flick is way above average. As a child, C.Thomas Howell witnessed the murder of his parents. Years later returning to the small town where they were killed, Howell proceeds to arrange fatal "accidents" for those involved. R.Lee Ermey is the county sheriff, who was in on the murders, along with several other locals. As Howell goes about eliminating the guilty parties complications ensue, and it turns out the woman who takes a romantic interest in Howell, has a father who was one of the killers. The story and character development are good, with competent acting by all concerned. Recommended of it's type. - MERK

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.

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.