Review of Young Guns II (1990) by Cameron J — 27 Jun 2011

"Billy get your guns! There's trouble blowing like a hurricane." Man, what a good, but out-of-place song, but more on that later. First, let's discuss the film's deal of flaws, such as some improvable practical effects, some cliches, some fall-flat jokes and some cheesiness. The biggest problem with the film is the extremely fast pacing, which would be good if it wasn't for this film's complex story that feels - as put best by Roger Ebert - unfinished. Still, the film is supported by a good hook, some snappy editing, sharp sound, good action sequences, a moving final act and an interestingly inventive use of historical liberties.

Just like the first one, the soundtrack needs to be discussed. Alan Silvestri's score is much more fitting than Brian Banks and Anthony Marinelli's from the first one, but it's just better, in general. As much as I like the original's score, Silvestri's isn't as cheesy and has some more depth, as well as a less overly contemporary feel to contradict the Western theme. The score is much more grounded in the film's timeline, yet still retains the colorfullness of the original score. Of course, what hurts that is Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory", which is really good and all, but still feels a bit too mainstream and contemporary, but just barely, believe it or not. But then they got to "Billy Get Your Guns", which is also good and all, but pretty much took good care of that "this seems to fit" mood. Still, get past that, then the music is a deeper, less cheesy and much more appropriate improvement on the still solid score from the preceeding film.

As for the ensemble, it has decreased so that we can be more intimate with the characters, who are also finally given some development. However, while this does have a positive affect on the character investment, it damages the entertainment value. However, Estevez is almost a redemption, as he had added more color to his character to make him more entertaining, as well as more dimension to make him more compelling. There's another thing: The performances are strong and arguably improve upon the performances in the original. Well, Lou Diamond Phillips is certainly better, as he puts on a passable job instead of overacted job. He's climbing up the ladder, though not as quickly as Estevez and Sutherland, who are compelling, charming and generally strong leads.

Still, as much as I've praised the film, the rushed pacing really takes some heavy hits against the film and keeps it from feeling too special and memorable. Probably the only reason why people remember it is because it's the sequel to a cult hit and made Bon Jovi more popular until everyone pretty much forgot about him during the big "Music Quality Drop of the 2000s". Man, I can just see someone in about 10 years doing another hip ensemble Western with the new music icon behind it: Rap. I think I'm gonna pass on "Young Glocks". You guys like how I forced that joke it there? But seriously though, the film has made some major improvements, but still lacks the strong and ever-intensifying compellingness of its predecssor, which would have worked great with this more complex story. Nevertheless, "Young Guns II" is a solid companion piece to the original cult hit and stands as an improvable, but still generally well-executed and charming adventure.