6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The story of a young boy who witnesses Billy the Kid's encounter with Sheriff Pat Garrett.
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Dane DeHaan, Chris Pratt, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam BaldwinWestern | 100% |
Biography | 8% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Lovers of (relatively) contemporary film may have a soft spot in their hearts for Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, whatever its perceived flaws or whatever “extracurricular” knowledge of its contentious
production and post-production history may be brought to bear on any viewing experience. That 1973 kinda sorta Sam Peckinpah film (hence the
“contention”) is only one of several cinematic treatments of elements of what might charitably be called by this point the “legend” of Billy the Kid.
As early as 1911, a silent version of Billy the Kid was evidently in nickelodeons (or whatever the venue may have been), and that same
title was later used for a 1930 film with John Mack Brown as Billy and Wallace Beery as Pat Garrett, and then again for a 1941 opus with Robert
Taylor as Billy and Brian Donlevy as Pat Garrett, kind of strangely renamed Jim Sheridan in that version. Billy the Kid has been utilized
as a title one more time (so far) in the interim, for a 1989 made for television outing written by none other than Gore Vidal and starring Val Kilmer
as Billy and Duncan Regehr as Pat Garrett.
While not overtly referencing the character in their titles, a number of other films, both well
remembered and pretty completely forgotten, have dotted the landscape through the years, many in at least some ways documenting the unlikely
friendship and ultimate conflict between Billy and Garrett. World War II hero Audie Murphy perhaps surprisingly starred as Billy in what was
Wikipedia lists as Murphy’s first Technicolor feature, The Kid from Texas, a 1950 feature that evidently only featured Garrett (Frank
Wilcox) as a
supporting character. Paul Newman stepped into the role of Billy eight years after Murphy in the Arthur Penn directed The Left Handed Gun, which featured John Dehner as Garrett. For
those who think of even 1973 films as being “classic” Hollywood, both 1988’s Young Guns and (perhaps especially) 1990’s
Young Guns II also address these historical characters (with Emilio Estevez as Billy and Patrick Wayne as Garrett in the first film and
William Petersen as Garrett in the second). Which brings us to the last of the “major” films featuring Billy and Garrett, albeit in what are almost
tangential roles in an outing that sought instead to exploit the pulchritudinous charms of its female star, Jane Russell, namely The Outlaw (Jack Buetel was BIlly and Thomas Mitchell was
Garrett, if anyone was paying attention). Kind of interestingly, given a certain plot point in The Kid, Russell’s name in that film was Rio,
and that perhaps not so coincidentally is also the name of a young boy (portrayed by Jake Schur) who in The Kid, like the female of the
same name in the
Howard Hughes production, comes into contact with two of the most iconic characters of America’s western history.
The Kid is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Once again the IMDb doesn't provide much technical data on the shoot, but the film's closing credits roll list the ever popular Alexa, and I'm once again assuming things were finished at a 2K DI. Aside from what I have by now often called "digital murk" in some low light situations (notably the last third or so of the film), this is an often quite striking looking presentation that boasts a nicely burnished, natural looking palette (very little grading, which I personally found refreshing), and generally excellent detail levels. D'Onofrio and cinematographer Matthew J. Lloyd do a nice job of alternating between scenic wide vistas and some extreme close-ups of various characters, giving some visual variety along the way. Fine detail is quite good when lighting conditions allow. As usual in some of the nighttime or dimly lit environments, fine detail levels understandably falter. I noticed no compression anomalies of any note.
The Kid features a nicely energetic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that provides pretty consistent engagement of the surround channels courtesy of a variety of effects and/or foley work. Both hand to hand combat and gunfire erupt in the film, and there is typically very smart directionality to some of these particular effects. The score by Latham and Shelby Gaines may strike some as being at least occasionally on the eccentric side, but it, too, wafts through the side and rear channels quite invitingly. Dialogue is always presented cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.
Despite a somewhat uneven mix of "real life" and fiction, I personally enjoyed The Kid quite a bit. Hawke and DeHaan's takes on their iconic characters ring true, and the rest of the cast is often extremely colorful and enjoyable. The story is a bit artificial from the get go, and becomes more so as it progresses, which may be the major stumbling block for some viewers. Technical merits are first rate, and with caveats noted, The Kid comes Recommended.
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