RELEASED TO VIDEO IN 2013 and directed by Christopher Forbes, "Billy the Kid" covers events when a bounty hunter (Cody McCarver) rides into the Southwestern town of Dogma intent on taking down a gang of outlaws called "The Four of the Apocalypse." Meanwhile, he meets a woman he knew years before (Kimberly Campbell) and her son, Billy (Christopher Bowman). Jerry Chesser emerges as the formidable main heavy.
This movie only cost $500,000 so you have to be able to stomach micro-budget independent flicks and the limitations thereof in order to appreciate any attributes. I like watching spare-change films now and then and sorta root for them like you would a severely underdog team in sports. While there are some highlights in this film, like the soundtrack/score, some picturesque scenes and a few of the main cast members (noted above), the script needed more work because the story bogs down after the opening act.
For instance, there's a lousy side plot about a goofy red-haired outlaw camping out in the town jailhouse and having a shootout with two old men. Most of the peripheral cast members aren't very good and the action scenes are okay at best, but neither would've been much of a hindrance if the story was strong and compelling. In short, without an engaging story everything else is worthless. Don't get me wrong, the plot had potential, but the script needed a lot more work.
Interestingly, while the events are supposed to take place in New Mexico, the movie was shot mainly in South Carolina with a couple sequences done in Georgia and Kentucky. How could the creators possibly pull this off and make it look like the story takes place in the Southwest? Answer: They utilized several establishing shots from Lincoln County, New Mexico (with some featuring the loner protagonist). But everything else, like the lame "town" set, was shot in the East.
THE FILM RUNS 1 hours & 20 minutes. WRITER: Graye Bumgardner.
GRADE: D
