Review of Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) by 3Guys 1 — 04 Sep 2011

I watched the longer 2005 directors cut at 122 minutes after hearing how chopped up this film was in its theatrical release. The film stars James Coburn as Pat Garrett and Kris Kristofferson as Billy the Kid. There were a few notable supporting actors including Bob Dylan who also did the soundtrack, and western stalwarts, Chill Wills, Slim Pickens, Harry Dean Stanton and Jason Robards. The film was directed by the notorious Sam Peckinpah.

The film is based on the historical rumors surrounding the relationship between Sherriff Pat Garrett and the wanted outlaw Billy the Kid. The setting is 1881 New Mexico in the rough and tumble old west. The film shows a reluctant Garrett arresting and then searching again for the escaped Billy. Peckinpah's familiar themes of man vs. society and his characters struggle to be honest and true to themselves in the face of adversity are well represented.

The film has several outstanding scenes, the shootout in the beginning at Billy's arrest, Billy's escape and shotgun blast full of dimes, and of course the scene critics love to drool over the riverboat scene. As an aside I thought that Slim Pickens was awesome in this film and his riverside scene has more emotion and gravitas than the entire twilight franchise.

Despite some great scenes and acting on the part of steady and intense Coburn and several of the supporting actors the films narrative drifts all over the place. I could probably cut the film down to about 40 minutes and have a masterpiece. There were simply not enough quality scenes in this film. This is probably attributed to the fact that 6 different editors were involved and eventually led to Peckinpah asking for his name to be removed as director.

Similarly, I found the addition of Bob Dylan extremely annoying. He seems like he feels awkward in every frame he is in and I couldn't get past the hey that's Bob Dylan every time I saw him. I also was not a big fan of Kristofferson in this film. I realize Billy the Kid was supposed to be a laid back easy going fella but Kristofferson seems to think an awe shucks grin and laconic attitude is a substitute for acting.

In summation if you are a fan of the western genre or a fan of the work of Sam Peckinpah I would encourage you to see the film. However, I would be hesitant to suggest the film over some of Peckinpah's other work including Straw Dogs, The Wild Bunch and the Getaway. I am sad to report I was disappointed in the film.