Review of Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) by Casey H — 19 Apr 2013

Peckinpah's drop dead gorgeous, melancholy tribute to the western. The actual story of Billy the Kid is mostly used as a backdrop to explore one of Peckinpah's favorite themes, old friends turned enemies. Peckinpah's trademark stylized violence is on stunning display, but the film also has a haunting, dreamy quality about it, utilizing ruggedly beautiful, on-location shots of the Durango, Mexico countryside to great effect. Every scene absolutely basks in the sun-soaked, weather beaten landscape.

From the outset of the film, the viewer already knows the fates of Billy and Pat, and the characters themselves seem to know it as well, that they'll both die at the hands of the same violence and the same men whom they once stood behind. Coburn's portrayal of the bitterly reluctant sheriff is the best performance of his career. Kristofferson plays an effortlessly charming Billy the Kid, but theres something in his demeanor that suggests a deep sadness and regret about the life he's led, probably the most powerful performance in the film. Peckinpah perfectly taps in to a sense of longing for a lost innocence that both lead characters seem to share, even as they hurtle themselves through a path of self destruction, while their friends and accomplices are killed in their wake.

Bob Dylan's soundtrack is absolutely perfect, Peckinpah uses Dylan's somber music as a reminder during even the most spectacular and triumphant scenes that there are no real personal or moral victories for either character a midst the blood-letting and pursuit, as both know where their destinies will ultimately lead them. Peckinpah's finest film and final western is the perfect farewell letter to a genre that catapulted him to fame but also led him to his own personal destruction. Powerful cinema at its finest and remains my favorite movie of all time.