Review of Wild Bill (1995) by Jim W — 26 Mar 2010

Take a walk on the wild side. Men wanted to be just like him. Women wanted to love him. And outlaws everywhere wanted to be the ones to kill the legendary "Wild Bill" Hickok. As the former James Butler Hickok heads toward his final hand of poker in Deadwood, South Dakota, he flashes back to his younger days and the events that built his reputation, even as he copes with encroaching blindness caused by syphilis. By the end of his 39-year life a more burdening than blessing legend was born...

Based on both the Deadwood novel by Pete Dexter and the Thomas Babe play Fathers And Sons, the Walter Hill-directed Wild Bill features good acting performances from the following cast:

1.) Jeff Bridges (Wild Bill Hickok).

2.) Ellen Barkin (Calamity Jane).

3.) John Hurt (Charley Prince).

4.) Diane Lane (Susannah Moore).

5.) David Arquette (Jack McCall).

6.) Christina Applegate (Lurlene).

7.) Keith Carradine (Buffalo Bill).

Although it was one of the better westerns ever to be released in the 1990s, audiences had overlooked this film. I, too, myself also overlooked it sometimes: Having seen Wild Bill twice I felt that the story here was too slow - at least until the ending scenes - and wished for better action, but I think it was done that way as to be faithful to the original tall tale and live up to the Wild West look to the big screen. If a series of black-and-white flashbacks seen by Wild Bill's point of view couldn't stop me from ever returning to where the real action is, I must say I do like this movie due to my search for good gunfights in town and a fine performance from the award-winning Jeff Bridges, whose facial appearance matched those of Hickok (and I mean Hickok as in the cowboy Wild Bill, not Hitchcock as in the movie director Alfred). It is a rather sad story, too, for both the sad beginnings and endings of it. The wild side is taken for a good movie about a Wild West legend, which is definitely worth a watch.