Geoff Murphy’s “Young Guns II” (1990) is better than the film that came before it and has maintained such a favorable reception that reports of a much delayed “Young Guns III” in the works has longtime fans intrigued.
More importantly, let me be clear about this: “Young Guns II” is a great western and worthy of rediscovery for those who only remember it for a certain Jon Bon Jovi song (more on that later).
An elderly “Brushy Bill” Roberts (Emilio Estevez, effectively hidden beneath tons of convincing make-up and sporting a workable “old man” voice) meets with an attorney (a young Bradley Whitford) in 1950 and reveals that he is actually Billy the Kid.
Despite history telling us that Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid, “Brushy Bill” tells the tale in which we get the “real” story, which may or may not be true.
We flashback to 1879 and see that Billy the Kid (Estevez, wonderful and boisterous) is still on the run with his Regulators gang, which includes returning outlaws Doc Spurlock (Kiefer Sutherland) and Jose Chavez y Chavez (Lou Diamond Phillips).
The new Regulators include Hendry (Alan Ruck in an unfocused turn), “Arkansas” Dave Rudabaugh (Christian Slater, stealing scenes left and right), and the terminally boyish Tom O’Folliard (Balthazar Getty, right after his breakout turn in “Lord of the Flies”).
Also on Billy’s team is his longtime friend Pat Garrett (William Peterson, post- “To Live and Die in L.A.” and “Manhunter”), who eventually changes sides, accepts a ton of money, gets a haircut, dons a badge and seeks to either arrest or kill Billy.
How true is “Young Guns II” to history? Who cares? I know a few historians and schoolteachers who may be horrified by that but seriously, it’s the story of Billy the Kid. The mythmaking, revisionism and difficulty in separating the man from the legend has always been a problem.
Young Guns II (1990) pic.twitter.com/QS9J2VX4IX
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For those who want the story told as “true” to history as possible, I highly recommend Michael Wallis’ absorbing “Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride,” which was published in 2007. You can also visit Salida, Colorado, where two buildings hold competing attractions: one old west museum has Billy the Kid’s grave, while the other displays his gun.
Both locations are great visits for history buffs and worth the drive.
As far as “Young Guns II” is concerned, the most important location attached to the film has to be Old Tucson Studios in Tucson, Arizona. I made a visit out there in 1993, a few days before I saw “Tombstone” (1993) on opening weekend and was stunned to see the distinct, rundown outdoor locations and buildings I saw were utilized for much of that film.
Likewise, when I revisited “Young Guns II,” I recognized so many locations as being sets that once stood in Old Tucson Studios. It’s a fitting connection, as “Young Guns II” may not have a firm grip on western history but is a potent example of the western film genre as a means of shaping legends and tall tales.
At one point in time, during the early years of cinema establishing itself as a new attraction, the two genres that were the most popular were musicals and westerns. It’s no wonder that everyone from Tom Mix to John Wayne became movie gods in the way they embodied a life of survival and discovery.
Estevez and his young Teen Beat Magazine-worthy co-stars were never in the same league as the likes of Wayne or Clint Eastwood. They didn’t have to be.
If “Young Guns” (1988) was about engaging a young teen audience with a very old genre (mission accomplished, as it was a sizable hit), then “Young Guns II” is about the nature of the Western as mythmaking, as well as an ensemble piece that allows the actors to let us in on the good time they’re clearly having.
Estevez’s best dramatic work is probably “The War at Home” (1996) or “The Breakfast Club” (1985) but his take on Billy the Kid, as exuberant and emotionally unstable, with an itchy trigger finger that goes off within seconds, is a pleasure to watch.
Sutherland and Phillips are also solid and intense in their returning roles, though Peterson’s terrific take on Garrett centers the film. There’s also a great single scene cameo from James Coburn, a nice reference to Coburn’s having played Garrett in “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” (1973).
Did Murphy think his film had a shot at competing with “Pat Garett and Billy the Kid,” let alone “High Noon” (1952) or “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966)? Of course not. However, film buffs who know their westerns will be quick to recall that the genre didn’t always cater to Oscar voters and cinephiles.
The genre is overloaded with rousing, middle of the road B-films that make up what they lack in budget or prestige with sheer showmanship. “Young Guns II” is a lot like that. To give it a big compliment, I’d say it’s every bit as engaging (though not quite as accomplished) as James Mangold’s “3:10 to Yuma” (2007).
A word about Jon Bon Jovi’s Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe winning, ubiquitous #1 hit single “Blaze of Glory”: it includes the lyrics “Lord I never drew first, but I drew first blood, I’m a devil’s son, call me young gun.” It’s not poetry and neither is “Young Guns II” but Bon Jovi clearly understands this story and relishes the chance to spin the tale of Billy the Kid as much as Murphy and Estevez.
“Young Guns II” is not pretentious or perfect (it actually could have benefitted from, of all things, being a little longer) but it gets so much right about the power of creating and maintaining a legend. It doesn’t matter if “Brushy Bill” Roberts really was Billy the Kid or not.
It makes for a great story.
Murphy’s film sports grand cinematography by “Mad Max” vet Dean Semler, a thrilling score by Alan Silvestri and enough great scenes to make up for the portions that are just okay. The knife fight between Slater and Phillips is really something, as are the final moments with Sutherland and Phillips.
“Young Guns” (not a bad movie but smaller and far less engrossing than this one) and “Young Guns II” deserve credit for helping keep westerns (so-called “horse operas”) alive. Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven” (1992) and George P. Cosmatos’ “Tombstone” (1993) get all the credit for revitalizing Westerns in the 1990s.
Billy the Kid and his Regulators got there first.
I thoroughly enjoyed both of the Young Guns movies as a kid, despite how historically inaccurate they are.
For a more accurate but still compelling portrayal of these events, I recommend the 2019’s The Kid, with Dane DeHaan as Billy The Kid and an excellent Ethan Hawke as Pat Garrett. It’s quite a good Western that sadly went under the radar.