Now we have a distinct change in tone here from the rest of the list- a Brat Pack Western: it is basically a re-telling of the Billy the Kid story. An English man called John Tunstall is running a ranch in New Mexico and he recruits young men to be his ranch hands and protect it from more powerful, evil neighbours. These young men are known as 'Regulators' and their boss is able to civilise them and give them discipline. Lawrence Murphy, a rival rancher, kills Tunstall, and The Regulators are deputised to find his killer and a recent Regulator called Billy the Kid, who was not schooled by Tunstall in the arts of discipline and civilisation, wants to be leader of the gang and kill the murderers - thus turning the Regulators into outlaw criminals themselves. If you are looking for a realistic portrayal of history - The Lincoln County War - do not watch this light weight Western. Although it has to be said that despite its historical inaccuracies, Young Guns is very entertaining - I liked it and I do not go for Westerns. It has a fabulous cast - Emilio Estevez, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland, and they interact very well together. Jack Palance and Terrence Stamp bring gravitas to the film and Estevez plays a wonderful Billy the Kid. He may be far from historical fact but by golly, he is entertaining. The film deals with the loss of innocence - the young men in the film have had to grow up too early but at least Tunstall could keep them under control. Billy the Kid is a pernicious influence on the rest of the gang - he brings out the worst in them. And in keeping with the violence of the times, there is a shoot out at the end. But don't worry too much for our Brat Back actors - enough of them survived for Young Guns 2.
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
