adamdalton-60317 Finally Got The DVD Recently. Hadn't Seen The Film In Years But Enjoyed It Again After All These Years. I Am A Big Fan Of Sam Peckinpah Got Most Of His DVD'S. Also A Big Fan Of Westerns Especially On Stories Of Pat Garrett, Billy The Kid and John Poe. Plus Cracking Soundtrack By Bob Dylan Love His Songs Also

drjgardner To appreciate the film, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid needs to be seen in a movie theatre, but it rarely gets released so the next best thing is to get a really big TV screen and play the music loud. Sit down with some good friends and be prepared to turn off your phones, and spend 2+ hours watching the film evolve, because it is the passage of time that is one of the central characters in the film, and this can only be understood and experienced without interruption.You'll also need to see it all at once because it is difficult to keep track of the many characters. In his other films Peckinpah was a master of developing distinct characters (think of Strother Martin and LQ Jones in The Wild Bunch, or James Drury and LQ Jones in Ride the High Country), but here they are a blur. Thus, when they are dispatched (Holly at the bar) it's hard to understand the linkages between the actions that set up the scene and the resolution. As edited, a lot of the action is questionable (why does Billy leave Paco's daughter all by herself min the middle of nowhere?). Watching the film straight through will help, but the truth is it's still hard to keep track of what's happening among the character actors. This isn't a fatal flaw, but in a film by Peckinpah,. it stands out.This isn't one of the greatest westerns of all time. The Wild Bunch, The Searchers, Jeremiah Johnson, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and a few others round out the top ones. But this could have been "the" greatest had it not been for circumstances not the least of which were the warped lens, the crew's sickness, the a*hole studio head, and of course, Sam Peckinpah himself.Flawed as it is, the film nonetheless is memorable and impactful. There is a listfull, lyrical mood, almost deterministic, with a man who is waiting to be caught being circled by a man who doesn't want to catch him. The West is changing and Billy won't change because being "the Kid" is all he has. Garrett will sacrifice everything he has to change with the West, even killing his old friend, and in essence, both are doomed.Wonderful photography, unsurpassed music, and great performances from most of the characters still don't compensate for the many script flaws and inconsistencies. This is why this isn't the best western ever made. But sit back and enjoy it and dream about what it might have been

Leofwine_draca Sam Peckinpah's western follow-up to THE WILD BUNCH is a very different kind of beast, but one that nearly equals that classic in terms of quality. This is an evocative western filled with violence, larger than life characters, and quite wonderful cinematography that brings the arid landscapes to life.James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson have a natural kind of camaraderie as the central twosome and a lot of the fun comes from their unhurried relationship and laughs along the way. Although this isn't exactly an action-packed movie, there's still plenty of the trademark Peckinpah slow motion and iconic death that the director was known for. The film's purpose is to bring to life two mythical characters from the Old West while at the same time looking at the changing landscape of the times and the dying out of the old ways. It's a fine film.

tomsview Sam Peckinpah's "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" has much in common with "One-Eyed Jacks"; Marlon Brando's take on the Billy the Kid story, which was based on Charles Neider's novel, "The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones". Although Neider's book, ridiculously renamed "Guns Up" in a Pan paperback edition (the one I read), is a fictionalised account, it is an unforgettable masterpiece, invoking a unique sense of nostalgia for the Old West. Peckinpah loved the book and was inspired to write what turned out to be the first screenplay for "One-Eyed Jacks", later made by Marlin Brando who changed just about every element. Although Peckinpah dropped out of that project early, when he finally got a chance to make his version, he moved a long way from Neider's book. In fact, the script moved closer to the historical record. However, although Neider's book is not credited, it's obvious that Peckinpah tried to capture its spirit. The story tells how Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid once rode together, but eventually found themselves on opposites sides of the law. When Billy brutally escapes from jail, in one of the film's best sequences, it sets in motion a ruthless hunt by Pat Garrett, which can only have one ending.Peckinpah actually frames the film with the death of Garrett. This sequence along with others have the trademark Peckinpah slow motion deaths with arching blood spray - techniques that had already become a little hackneyed even by 1973.However, the central problem was in Peckinpah's casting of Kris Kristofferson. Not so much, as many reviewers have suggested, that at 37 he was too old to play Billy the Kid, but more because he just didn't project the necessary sense of danger; he comes across as too affable, too laid back. Brando in "One Eyed Jacks" gave a stunning performance as a man with a dangerous edge, and although it might seem unfair to compare the two, that lack of threat is a key weakness in Peckinpah's film.Bob Dylan is in the movie and also provides a couple of very nasally songs on the soundtrack; his presence isn't just anachronistic, it's bizarre.On the other hand, James Coburn is just about perfect as Pat Garrett, and the rest of the cast is probably the greatest coming together of iconic stars from western movies ever - Chill Wills, Slim Pickens, Jack Elam, LQ Jones, Katy Jurado, Gene Evans, Paul Fix and others - one of the joys of the film is in spotting them.Apparently the film was badly cut by the studio. Despite that, and some strange decisions by Peckinpah himself, the film is nothing less than interesting. But because of all the tampering, like Brando's film, it misses out on greatness. As for Neider's book, it still awaits the right filmmaker to give it the definitive treatment on the screen.