SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 1 Hour, 44 Min.
Released by Morgan Creek Productions through 20th Century Fox, Geoff Murphy directs this sequel to the original 1988 film. Initially set in the early 1950’s, a journalist (Whitford) answers a summons into New Mexico’s secluded desert to interview elderly “Brushy Bill” Roberts (Estevez), who insists upon a pardon once promised from the state’s governor. Seeking proof, the rightfully-skeptical journalist asks if Roberts has any visible scars. Per Roberts’ narration, he recalls the subsequent fallout from the original film’s chaotic mass showdown in 1878.
As Billy the Kid continues his legendary gunfighting antics, his current rustling crew consists of: “Arkansas” Dave Rudabaugh (Slater), Pat Garrett (Petersen), and his dubious new recruits: farmer William Hendry French (Ruck) and young Tom O’Folliard (Getty). Getting word that ex-cronies Chavez y Chavez (Phillips) and “Doc” Scurlock (Sutherland) have been forcibly returned to Lincoln, New Mexico, Billy launches a brazen nocturnal rescue to save his old comrades.
Ostensibly, Billy intends to lead his fugitive faction to the safety of Old Mexico. Yet, a run-in with influential cattle kingpin John Chisum (Coburn) fatefully ignites a vendetta for New Mexico’s most powerful to chase down their ‘national embarrassment,’ Billy the Kid, once and for all. Leading local law enforcement is the county’s newly appointed Sheriff: a reformed Pat Garrett. With Billy’s elusive gang not too far ahead, Garrett’s posse’s deadly pursuit provokes a fateful last confrontation between Billy and his once-trusted friend in the summer of 1881.
William H. Bonney/”Brushy Bill” Roberts: Emilio Estevez
Pat Garrett: William Petersen
Chavez y Chavez: Lou Diamond Phillips
“Arkansas” Dave Rudabaugh: Christian Slater
Josiah “Doc” Scurlock: Kiefer Sutherland
William Hendry French: Alan Ruck
Tom O’Folliard: Balthazar Getty
John Chisum: James Coburn
Ashmun Upson: Jack Kehoe
Deputy John W. Poe: Viggo Mortensen
Governor Lew Wallace: Scott Wilson
D.A. Rynerson: R.D. Call
Deputy J.W. Bell: Tom Kurlander
Deputy Bob Ollinger: Leon Rippy
Deputy Carlyle: Robert Knepper
Beaver Smith: Tracey Walter
Charles Phalen: Bradley Whitford
Judge Bristol: Tony Frank
Deluvina Maxwell: Carlotta Garcia
Bounty Hunter: Lee de Broux
Jane Greathouse: Jenny Wright
Note: In addition to winning a Golden Globe, Jon Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory” was also nominated for both an Oscar and a Grammy for Best Original Song for a Film.
REVIEW:
Keeping in mind how three years of history are squished into a matter of weeks (maybe a few months), Young Guns II is still some rip-snorting cinematic dynamite. Notably, the cast’s acting, John Fusco’s game script, and Geoff Murphy’s reliable directing surpass the original film, as far as impressing audiences with an MTV-era, rock ‘n’ roll Western.
Still, one must swallow various plot holes (i.e., why doesn’t Billy’s gang dispute his inexplicable sense of direction as their supposed trail is evidently a glorified loop vs. actually going into Mexico?). If anything, Emilio Estevez’s inspired performance makes the vital difference in that regard, in warding off the film’s logic gaffes.
In the same regard, the chemistry that Sutherland, Phillips, Petersen, and Slater display with Estevez is another major asset. Petersen’s low-key performance, in retrospect, is overshadowed by the flashy lead actors, but he is one of the main reasons why Young Guns II remains so watchable. With scenic cinematography and all the other necessary elements for a high-caliber action film, this energetic film merits comparison with Tombstone as the two best history-based Westerns in the past forty years.
Young Guns II, in other words, consistently delivers the necessary goods where it counts with viewers.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
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