J'ai tué Billy le Kid

Is this movie a response to Sam Fuller's I SHOT JESSE JAMES, released one year earlier? I have the Fuller's film in my library but I don't remind it, so I won't compare the two films, speaking of the two most notorious Wild West myths, legends. Anyway, Sam Fuller, even a young Samuel Fuller, will give another directing different from William Berke's one. No problem. That said, this short B western is not lousy, as we could expect, better than the Ken Maynard's or Johnny Mc Brown stuff, or even Allan Lane, Roy Rogers.... There were dozens of films speaking of Billy The Kid and a very few of them emerge: LEFT HANDED GUN, PAT GARRET AND BILLY THE KID are the top of the basket for me. So don't despise this B western please. But we can get amused by a nearly forty years old Don Barry playing a twenty two years old Billy the Kid, this is ridiculous; the same with Robert Taylor, also playing the same character in David Miller's BILLY THE KID, Taylor who was thirty years old and looked far older for this role. The same crew: William Berke, Don Barry, Robert Lowery will also be together the same year for GUNFIRE, another western speaking this time of Frank James, another western legend.

Too bad the movie didn't have Hollywood bad boy Tom Neal playing Pat Garret. That way we could have had a face-off between two of the tougher actors in Tinsel Town. Barry, of course, could be as intense as a forest fire, if called upon. Here, however, he tries to display a charming affable side that undercuts needed tension. Unfortunately, Neal's apparently along for the ride with nothing much to do. However, he could do intense tough guys on screen as well as in real life (ask poor Franchot Tone). A showdown between them would have real potential. As it is, Robert Lowery's Garret is little other than a blandly handsome presence.

The movie itself lacks drama, spending more time on riding aimlessly around Vasquez Rocks, just north of LA, instead of building up the plot. Then too, the climax, which should be a highlight, is staged more like an afterthought—was cheapjack Lippert running out of film. Anyway, this is one of the least of the many efforts at mining one of the West's biggest legends. Too bad.

(In Passing— Besides being an eye-catcher, the exotically slanting Vasquez Rocks was popular in these budget westerns mainly because they're in LA County. Because of that, production companies don't have to pay extra location fees to cast and crew.)

Cheap movies don't have to be bad, but this one is. Another budget Western starring Don "Red" Barry, who has zero charisma, can't act worth beans, and is twenty years too old for Billy. This one features a weak script, bad music, and lots of clippity-cloppity as we gallop here and there. Skip it.

Don Barry produced and starred in yet another retelling of the Billy The Kid story. If you've seen any number of Billy The Kid stories you know exactly what will happen. For that matter the title tells all.

Barry plays a tough, charming Billy with a bit of James Cagney like smart alec persona. Playing Pat Garrett is Robert Lowery whose solemn duty it is now that he's sheriff of Lincoln County to track down Billy now that he's considered an outlaw by all factions of the former Lincoln County War in New Mexico territory.

Lippert Pictures released this film under its banner. Westerns fans and fans of Don Barry should be pleased.

Don (Barry) dons the role of the young rebel outlaw of the Southwest. Barry is probably twice the age that Billy ever lived to be...and history is played with fast and loose in this low budget quickie produced by theatre owner/producer Lippert. Plenty of action, and Barry's screen presence make this one acceptable viewing.