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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
"You don't ever touch another man's hat!", June 2, 2005
It is uneven films like 'Wild Bill' that make me wish that Amazon allowed half stars. While it has some outstanding scenes that I would not have missed, and Jeff Bridges deliveres a five star performance in the title role, it hits too many false notes, and as a whole is far too unconvincing to merit four stars. But when it is good, it is very good, and deserves a three and one half star rating.
Jeff Bridges' portrayal of Wild Bill Hickok is simply outstanding. He delivers exactly the right mix of flamboyant swagger, no nonsense toughness, and world weariness to breath life into the legend, and is the primary reason to see this movie. The film's early scenes, where Bridges gets to recreate several pivital episodes of Hickok's legend are superb; had the movie continued in that vein, it would be a classic.
Unfortunately, 'Wild Bill' abandons both the history and legend of James Butler Hickok for the greater part of the movie in favor of its own inovations on the tale that simply fall flat. Most of the story is told in Deadwood, the boom town where Hickok was killed, and it attempts to give explanation and motivation to young Jack McCall's murder of Wild Bill. This is not only unnecessary, as the tale already had a fitting ending (an unbalanced young coward murders a legend hoping to make a name), but destoys the credibility of the film, by adding silly scenes such as McCall and a gang of hired toughs holding Bill and friends hostage in a bar previous to the murder.
The impressive cast, like the movie itself, delivers unevenly. David Arquette does a fair job as the twitchy Jack McCall. Ellen Barkin fails as Calamity Jane - her attempt at acting both rowdy tough and sweetly sexy is about as successful as mixing oil and water. John Hurt plays Charley Prince, an English gentleman who is friend to Wild Bill, and narrates much of the movie; both the charater and the narration seem out of place in the tale. Vetern character actor James Gammon plays California Joe largly through speaking loudly, and is a disappointment. Christina Applegate's role as hard bitten prostitute Lurline is both woodenly acted and utterly superflous to the story. Keith Carradine has a one scene, throw away cameo as Buffalo Bill Cody. Bruce Dern, playing Will Plummer, an angry old man in a wheel chair who calls Wild Bill out, delivers the most entertaining performance in the movie next to Bridges, providing one of the moments that make this film worth seeing despite its many flaws.
Had 'Wild Bill' stuck to the legend rather than inovating, or had it attempted to get behind the legend to the history, this could have been an outstanding movie. The scenes that did stay close to the legend were outstandingly well done, and give a hint of what this film could have been. As is, I would still recommend that you check out 'Wild Bill', but rent, rather than buy.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Psychedelic Look At 'Wild Bill', May 2, 2006
If there was ever a psychedelic western movie, this has to be it. It's so bizarre, at least compared to most westerns, that it was tough to know where to start in describing this bizarre film.
I just found it great fun, an entertaining film that's always a kick to view, and what more you can ask? Being someone who is very much into visuals, great cinematography and unique approaches to camera-work, this film provided all of that and more, such as an interesting story with whacked-out characters.
I love narration and John Hurt's description of the goings-on here was just great to hear. He played "Charlie," an Englishman with a gentleman's vocabulary that was in stark contrast to the hardened outlaws, led by 'Wild Bill' Hickok himself, played by Jeff Bridges. Ellen Barkin plays "Calamity Jane," and few women of the 1980s and '90s played foul-mouthed, hard-but-sexy women as convincingly as Barkin.
In addition to Hurt, Bridges and Barkin, other fun characters included "California Joe," Hickok's gravel-voiced friend who doesn't say much but when he does, you hear some some of the longest sentences ever uttered. Daid Arquette plays a very strange villain, the man who became famous for shooting Wild Bill. He acts strange and talks as if he has a mouthful of marbles. James Remar, another mean-looking tough guy, is a hired killer. Christina Applegate, Bruce Dern, Margoe Gortner, Keith Carradine and assorted other characters all add to this strange tale, strange in its telling and even stranger in its visual style.
Some of the film is in flashback, which is seen in startling black-and-white and mainly features Diane Lane, who is flat-out gorgeous and maybe the most intriguing person in the film. One of the flashbacks has the film deliberately overexposed with wild dream-like images.
No western "purist" admits to liking this but I love the genre and I put this near the top of my list of favorite westerns. So, sue me!
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Accurate? Don't know, but Bridges is great., December 7, 1999
Unlike the other reviewers, I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of this film. What I can say, however, is that I thoroughly enjoyed Bridges' portrayal of the rough and tumble Wild Bill. I lost the sense that I was watching an actor at work behind the moustache, twin pistols and gruff mannerisms that Bridges brings to the character. I found the central conflict of a very tough and manly man coming to terms with his own legacy poignant and interesting. I recommend giving it a look-see, and I plan on buying it when it comes out on DVD.
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