Customer Reviews

Young Guns [VHS]

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Warning: This film's blu-ray video transfer is critically flawed!
Somehow this film got past Lionsgate's quality control. It suffers from "jaggies," resolution issues and other HD mastering artifacts. The disc is nearly unwatchable and looks far worse than the most recent DVD versions, even without up-scaling.
Do not take my word on this, please google the issue.

I really enjoy this movie, as it takes me back to my youth and all those great brat-pack films. Which is why the Blu-ray version of this film was such an incredible disappointment. Stick to the DVD version until these issues are resolved.

This is a review of the blu-ray transfer. It is just terrible. It's the worst in my collection of over 140 discs. There is stairstepping on everything. It's just awful. I don't know why Amazon insists on sticking reviews of DVD in with the blu-ray reviews.

I just want to warn people that this is not worth an upgrade. There was some sort of serious error in the conversion process. I wish I could get my money back!

Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, and Kiefer Sutherland are just a few of the all-star cast who fill out this film about outlaws set in the old west: The story of Billy the Kid & Co. Aside from the fact that its historical accuracy is more than highly questionable, the movie was more than entertaining.

Emilio Estevez plays William H. Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid who was a runaway and an alleged murderer, who was taken in by Mr. John Tunstall, an English cattleman. Tunstall was murdered by a rival cattleman, a Mr. Murphy, played by Jack Palance. The movie goes on from there with a killing spree of those who were responsible for the death of Tunstall. The acting was great. "Dick," played by Charlie Sheen, was very good and one of Sheen's better roles. Lou Diamond Phillips was absolutely amazing as the Mexican Indian: Jose Chavez y Chavez. Charlie, played by Casey Siemasko, was a great and devoted friend, to Billy, and to the rest of the "Regulators."

It is said that Billy the Kid was no where near as arrogant, nor as trigger happy as the film portrays, but Estevez was rather impressive in his skills both as an actor and a gunslinger. Sutherland's "Josiah `Doc' Scurlock" was an admirable man; full of character and class given the circumstances. Terrance Camp's role as "John Tunstall" was short-lived but excellent.

This movie is highly entertaining. I recommend it to anyone who likes a good Robin Hood story (who isn't terribly concerned of historical accuracy). It is fun to watch, and the cast is second to none.

epc

I purchased the Blu-ray debuts of Young Guns & First Blood together to beef up my collection of "guilty pleasure" titles. As both of these are Lionsgate propety, they share similar layout and content. Young Guns, while a decent performer, doesn't seem to have the breathtaking image transfer I was hoping for. If you already own the "Special Edition" standard DVD that was released no so long ago, you would be fine not to upgrade to this, particularly if you have a decent upscaler (albeit, for $19, this BRD is a bargain). The picture seems slightly better defined than the standard version with the most notable improvements being in the blacks (which should be expected in hi-def). Since I don't have a DTS-HD capable setup, I can't really review the audio on this disc other than to say that the standard DTS track sounds just like the one from the standard DVD - which isn't a negative. The BRD also features the the same extra features from the DVD, which aint much. The "trivia" track is kinda cool - much more graphically intensive than before and gives a decent insight into the making of the film as you're watching it. As with First Blood, the pop-up menu is annoying in that is takes up half of the screen, but it's still functional and better than having to exit the film to play around. If you already own the Special Edition DVD, this may not be the upgrade you ar hoping for... it is better than the standard DVD, just not by much. First Blood has a much better transfer.

In 1988, when I first saw this movie as a teen I was blown away by it all loving every minute of this slightly revisionist Western with the coolest cast (at that time) assembled solely to appeal to like minded folks in my demographic grouping. Watching it again some 15 years on DVD the luster has definitely been lost and, 'Young Guns,' comes across more as a late 80's popcorn action cheezefest, albeit still a somewhat enjoyable one. But enough of that. For those who have yet to see it or haven't seen it in years you'll still find a good deal of enjoyment within the flick as long as you go in with the expectation that this is a 'Western-lite' geared for a teen audience.

NOTE: If you do puchase this disc make sure that you get the 'Special Edition' version that was released in Feb. 2004. The earlier version was released back in the late 90's and as a result the menu designs and production quality of the disc itself is somewhat archaic. Worst of all, it doesn't even have a Dolby 5.1 Audio mix to it.

"Young Guns" has been dubbed by Many a Critic as the "Brat-Pack Western". Well... Yes, it does star a few of the so-called Brat Packers, does that make it any less of a Classic Western... I think Not. "Young Guns" has All the Requirements needed for Classic Western Status, and in My Books, it's Up there with the Best.

Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips and Charlie Sheen lead the charge as "The Regulators", a Group of Young Cowboys out to Settle some Scores. Emilio plays Billy the Kid, the Self-Proclaimed Leader of the Regulator Posse, and he plays it Well. He is Tough, Likeable and a Natural Born Leader. If Billy the Kid Was really like this, I'd follow him to the Ends of the Earth. (remember, I said "If") Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips give the Best Supporting Performances, in this one and in the sequel. Charlie Sheen isn't given as much Screen time, but he uses the time he has Very Well.

The Climactic Standoff is one worth Waiting for; it's Stylish, Original and Violent... It's a Classic Showdown. The film is Full of Tense Gunfights and Violent Shootouts, and as the Characters have been Well-Developed, the Audience is on the Edge of their Seats Throughout. "Young Guns" Will one day be rated up there with the Best Westerns, it is a Beloved film by many and it Will be Remembered by All who see it.

Okay. Now, I rented this movie for one reason: Emilio. I didn't know Charlie was in it (bonus), and I didn't expect the movie, quite frankly, to be that good. It was. I hate westerns. I don't like them. But this one had a comedic tone underlying all the action and shooting. Estevez is terrific as Billy the Kid, and Lou Diamond Phillips has a great scene when he talks about why he hates Murphy (the bad guy). Kiefer Sutherland has some very funny lines directed at Billy. Billy gives this long speech and then leaves, and Sutherland confides to Mulroney "I'm really not liking him." The movie successfully combines humour, action and drama. It gets bloody (can't have shoot-outs without blood) but not disgustingly so. It would've been easy to make a B movie out of the story line (it's not like it hasn't been done before) but this surpassed my expectations. Kudos!

Made more to showcase a covey of young hunks than to tell a viable story, YOUNG GUNS blazes across the screen like a lead bullet from a six-shooter. Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, and Casey Siemaszko (who actually brings depth to his character) portray the "Regulators"--led by Estevez as an annoying Billy the Kid--a band of vigilantes that likes to shoot first, and ask questions later.

The movie has its moments--some witty dialogue, a good dose of pulse-pounding action--but overall it's an exercise in silliness. Jack Palance is a wonderful villain (as usual), and crusty Brian Keith appears in the film's best scene, but the movie is like a ten-year-old on a sugar rush: pure, unleashed energy without purpose or direction.

YOUNG GUNS is entertaining, but isn't meant to be taken seriously, only viewed as a superficial Western meant to launch a handful of careers.
--D. Mikels

I really don't understand the standards people are holding this film up to. Does every Western have to be on the level of "Unforgiven" to be a good Western? Following that line of thought, if a basketball team drafted a player who wasn't quite as good as Michael Jordan, I suppose they should dump the player and start from scratch! Does every film have to have a "message"?

I must admit, before I first saw "Young Guns", I believed it would be a bunch of nonsense due to the cast. Afterwards, I felt thoroughly entertained. Of course, the film isn't going to follow Billy the Kid's life down to the letter. Then again, I don't think the film depicts him as some great hero, either. Both sides of the Lincoln County War were guilty of plenty. There are several spots where he easily could have spared someone's life but didn't, or not shown so much joy in killing, but did so anyway. The film is just shown largely from Billy the Kid's point of view.

As with virtually all films based on actual people and events, liberties are taken. Having read three different biographies on Billy the Kid, I can say they didn't take anything away from my enjoyment of the film. Some criticize it for the youthfulness of the characters, but who would they have rather seen as the 19-to-21 year old Billy the KID? Jack Nicholson? If anything, Emilio Estevez was too OLD to play the part. As for another reviewer who disputed whether Billy was at one time deputized and part of the regulators, well, that is a part of the film that is based on fact, as were some of the reasons the Lincoln county war escalated to the extent it did. The final showdown actually involved more regulators in real life than in the movie, the makers just cut down the number of Billy's allies for dramatic effect.

Ironically, this film was closer to the facts than most, if not all, of previous Billy-the-Kid based films. Of course, its no "Unforgiven" or "Wild Bunch"; but if that's a viewer's standard for film-watching, they're missing out on quite a few entertaining movies. Sometimes, one prefers having a cheeseburger instead of caviar.

Young Guns could be seen as the one that started it all. This great western adventure has inspired over a decade of imitators on the big and small screen, but none of them nearly as successful or as fun as this one.

Young Guns, of course, tells the story of William H. Bonney, the young New Mexico outlaw better known to history as Billy the Kid. Billy is taken in by the kind-hearted English merchant John Tunstall, who is invloved in a trade dispute with local Irish mob boss John Murphey, a powerful member of a circle of corrupt New Mexico politicians known as the Santa Fe Ring. After Murphey's Boys assasinate Tunstall, The Kid and his Regulators are deputized to bring in the perpatrators. But instead of issuing the warrants as ordered, Billy goes on the war path, knocking off Tunstall's killers, becoming outlaws in the process, and escalating the war, intending to ultimately bring down Murphey and the Ring. What ensues is action adventure history as Billy and his Regulators ride across the New Mexico desert with guns blazing.

Despite it's Hollywood overtones, this a great western adventure that unlike many earlier Billy the Kid films, shows time went into researching the actual history of the events that shaped Billy's short but famous life. Emilio Estevez, as Billy, plays a darkly likable outlaw leader alongside his brother Charlie Sheen as Dick Brewer, the foreman of the Regulators. A fantastic supporting cast including Keiffer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jack Palance, Terrence Stamp, and many others bring this classic 80s western to life . Young Guns inspired in me an intense interest in the history of the West as well as a love of great western movies like this one. Check it out.