Review of Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) by Leif S — 25 Sep 2007

Often, a director makes a film, realizes at some point that it was not his best effort, then claims (justly or not) that studio pressures altered his intended "vision." Such is the case with Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, which is far from the masterpiece many Peckinpah apologists assert.

First off, Coburn's perfomance alone make this one worth watching. If you like Dylan's music, then go buy the soundtrack rather than sit through two hours of Kris Kristofferson - a pudgy-faced 20-year-old with the gruff voice of a 80-year-old lifelong smoker (its annoying).

Unfocused editing, clunky acting (esp. on the part of Charles Martin Smith), and the distraction of casting Bob Dylan in a speaking role all work against the film. Some scenes are inexcuseably bad. For instance, Garrett looks over a shirtless Kid after blowing him away, and viewers realize there is no blood - none.

It was later revealed that Peckinpah forgot the blood but shot the scene anyhow. Typical of a somewhat careless film that had the potential of a classic.