|
.. |
|
YOUNG GUNS
Special Edition
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars:
Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot
Mulroney, Casey Siemaszko, Terry O’Quinn, Jack Palance, Terence Stamp
Director: Christopher Cain
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, Dolby Surround
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Studio: Artisan Entertainment
Features: See Review
Length: 102 Minutes
Release Date: April 22, 2003
“Billy,
what are we gonna do now?”
“We’re
gonna show these guys they’ve finally met their match.”
Film
***
With its unique
cast of actors, one could label Young Guns
as sort of an attempt to market a western to a somewhat younger audience.
Surprisingly, as I found out with my first viewing of it fourteen years ago, the
movie turns out to be a highly entertaining western, and the performances are
first rate. Some may even argue that Emilio Estevez is a presence that isn’t
much missed, even though I still wonder what has happened to him lately, but the
actor truly came into his own with his manic portrayal of legendary outlaw Billy
the Kid. To sum it up, this accomplishes everything that the recent and much
similar American Outlaws tried to do,
as we end up buying into this group of gunslingers in their early days.
The film opens with
William H. Bonny, aka Billy the Kid, committing an act of robbery. While eluding
authorities, he captures the eye of the old and wise John Tunstall (Terence
Stamp), a cattle farmer who takes in boys with troubled pasts hoping to help
them find a brighter future. The other young men who Tunstall has token in are
Doc Scurlock (Kiefer Sutherland), Chavez y Chavez (Lou Diamond Phillips),
Richard Brewer (Charlie Sheen), Charlie Bowdre (Casey Siemaszko), and Dirty
Steve Stephens (Dermot Mulroney).
The group of men
have formed a law abiding clan known as The Regulators, although their true
determination of enforcing the law doesn’t come into play until the shooting
of Tunstall, which is no doubt at the hands of Murphy (Jack Palance), who’s
been trying to take over Tunstall’s land for some time. Billy, who has long
admitted to be a hot wire killer, insists on taking down Murphy, along with each
and every one of his men, one shooting at a time. It isn’t too long before the
outlaws have everyone in the country on their trail, including that of union
troops.
Young
Guns is by no means a masterful western, but a strongly entertaining one at
that. The movie is high on shootout sequences that ring true of the time. I
don’t really recall hearing more gunfire in a single western. This one may
even have the far superior Tombstone
beat out in that department. The so-called brat pack western spawned a sequel
that dealt mostly with the fate of the surviving characters, as well as touching
up on Billy’s relationship with Pat Garrett, the man who would eventually be
his killer.
Those who saw the
2001 release American Outlaws, which
had the Jesse James gang looking like a boy band of the old west, and were let
down immensely might want to check out, or re-visit this worthy entry in the
western genre. It still remains entertaining after all these years.
Video
**1/2
I never caught Young
Guns when it first hit DVD, so I can’t offer a comparison on how it
compares to the transfer on this new Special Edition. The anamorphic picture on
this disc is acceptable, but at the same time could have been improved in some
areas. A good percent of the presentation is a decent and sharp for the most
part picture quality, with notable details, but there were a few instances of
imaging that looked no different than a cassette tape, and we all know we
don’t want that in our DVDs. I give it a rating boost, though, for making the
most of its western setting.
Audio
***
For a 15 year old
movie, Artisan has done this presentation some justice. The 5.1 mix (Dolby or
DTS) provides impressive moments of sharp sound. Most superior in the
presentation is, of course, the action sequences, which come close to having you
blown away by the sharp sound of gunfire and numerous explosions. Music and
dialogue also come through clear and flawless.
Features
***1/2
While I wouldn’t
exactly rank this with some of Artisan’s previous Special Edition outings like
Reservoir Dogs or Rambo, they still deliver the goods with this new Special Edition
release. Above all else, the packaging is among the best I’ve seen in a while,
as Artisan makes tremendous good use of the slip cover cases. As for the disc
itself, we get a commentary track from Lou Diamond Phillips, Dermot Mulroney,
and Casey Siemaszko. Also featured is a documentary titled “The Real Billy the
Kid”, which goes beyond the movie for a glimpse at the real events in the
famous outlaw’s life. Rounding out the extras on the disc is a trivia fact
track, a trailer for this, as well as trailers for Dune, Reservoir Dogs, The Rambo Trilogy, and Total Recall.
Summary: