Review of The Left Handed Gun (1958) by Jim H — 19 Jul 2011

Billy the Kid seeks revenge for the killing of a cattle rancher who showed him kindness.

I've never found the Western genre that compelling. Sure, there are some Westerns that use the lawlessness of the place/era as a way to debate the formation of laws in some kind of modern Locke vs. Rousseau discussion, and there are others that are characters studies of a different sort. But overall, macho violence and loud action scenes usually dominate the genre, and I fail to connect to any of the characters.

Aside from Paul Newman's performance, The Left Handed Gun is everything I don't like about Westerns. It's predictable, and Billy the Kid holds no great aura for me - he's a snide, hot-headed, illiterate fuck-up, and though he comes to realize this by the end, I have trouble understanding why he holds so much pull for people in general and filmmakers specifically. Within the context of the film, I don't see any motivation for a woman to sleep with him (in the lamest seduction sequence ever - "With you. With you. With you.") or for Garrett to take him under his wing.

Overall, the film gets strong reviews from friends and reviewers alike, but there must be something I'm missing about this genre.