Review of Wild Bill (1995) by Rocknblues 8 — 01 Sep 2009

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickock (Jeff Bridges), famed lawman and gunman of the Old West, is haunted by his past and his reputation.

After years of being on the move, he has settled down in Deadwood, South Dakota. Wild Bill has gotten older, his ghosts appears everywhere, he is losing his eyesight and he has taken a fondness for opium. The only one that really shows love and affection for him is Calamity Jane (Ellen Barkin). Suddenly a young man named Jack McCall shows up in Deadwood, accusing Bill for abandoning his mother and destroying her life. McCall has sworn to kill him, so it is time for Wild Bill to not only confront McCall, but as well to confront himself.

"Wild Bill" is not bad, but it still lacks something. I reckon the structure Walter Hill has used with all these flashbacks in the beginning is ok to establish Wild Bills character, but they are just not powerful enough. They are not grasping you in a proper way.

In general the movie floats around with no real lows and no real highs and the acting is not entirely 100%. Except for Jeff Bridges whom I believe is on top here as Wild Bill. A great performance from Mr. Bridges. Walter Hill has made much better movies than "Wild Bill", but you can still digest it. And "Wild Bill" Hickock is without no doubt a truly intriguing character and person.