Long on Action, Short on Brains

Young Guns (1988) – Billy the Kid gathers a group of young gunslingers to avenge the death of the man who had watched over them. In the end, the lust for revenge will turn the hunters into the hunted.

Directed by Christopher Cain

Starring Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, Jack Palance

Why I Liked It – A wonderful cast struggles with a dumb script

Time to tick off a portion of the movie-loving public. This movie is beloved by folks who were young moviegoers in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. It’s brash, with lots of action and a certain throwaway humor. Add in that the cast is anchored by Emilio Estevez and other young, up-and-coming stars, and I understand why so many people love it.

For me, it’s just not a very good movie overall.

My objection centers on what feels like a “pile it on” approach to the story. Nothing is held back. The story keeps finding new tops to go over. The soundtrack is filled with rock music that never feels like it has a connection to the characters or story. The acting feels as if the director told the cast to “go have fun” with no sense of how this would all meld into a cohesive movie. I spent far too much time staring at the screen thinking, “Really? This is what you decided to do?” Given the quality of the young actors, plus supporting actors like Jack Palance and Terence Stamp, this movie had all the resources to create something more important. Imagine giving this movie the polish of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”. The tight story, the crafted bits of humor throughout it all. It would be one of the great modern Westerns. Instead, it settled for being a goofy buddy movie with guns.

When the final credits rolled, I wanted to like this movie. The more I thought about it, the more its flaws rose to the surface. There are some good pieces, but not enough to bring it all together for me. As mindless fun, it’s fine. It just could have, should have been more. I know plenty of people will disagree.

You can watch “Young Guns” on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Fandango at Home

Rating – Not Impressed