“We regulate any stealing of his property. We’re daaaamn good, too. Mr. Tunstall’s got a soft-spot for runaways, derelicts, vagrant types. But you can’t be any geek off the street. You gotta be handy with the steel, if you know what I mean. Earn your keep.”
– Charley Bowdre (Casey Siemaszko), Young Guns (1988)
There have been a number of narrative heroes throughout time, individuals who may have existed in real life, but whose lives have been challenged, altered, or adjusted so many times as to become mythic and nebulous. One such individual is the American outlaw Billy the Kid, a.k.a William H. Bonney, but whose real name is understood to be Henry McCarty. Reportedly, he jumped from one crime to another throughout his adolescence into adulthood throughout the Midwest, ending up a part of the Lincoln County War (1878 – 1881). His exploits before and after inspiring dime store novels and cinematic recreations, such as with the Christopher Cain-directed Young Guns (1988), starring the “it” kids of the day Emilio Estevez (The Breakfast Club), Kiefer Sutherland (Flatliners), Lou Diamond Philips (Stand and Deliver), Charlie Sheen (Hot Shots), Dermot Mulroney (Zodiac), Casey Siemaszko (Stand by Me), as well as Terence Stamp (Last Night in Soho), Jack Palance (Tango & Cash), and Terry O’Quinn (Tombstone). Now, in honor of its 35th anniversary, Lionsgate, for original distributor Morgan Creek, is releasing Young Guns on 4K UHD for the very first time, with a new Dolby Vision HDR video transfer, new Dolby Atmos audio mix, and bonus materials new and legacy. Are you ready to join the Regulators or are you going to wait to get famous first?
On the run from the law, William Bonney (Estevez) finds himself taking refuge on the cattle farm of John Tunstall (Stamp) as a new hire-on for his Regulators, a motley crew of misfits who are given room and board in exchange for protection from L. G. Murphy (Palance) who has designs on Tunstall’s property. As the rivalry rages on and losses are taken by both sides, Old West justice seems to be the only way to end things for certain, but what will it cost and is the price worth it?
A quick admission before jumping into the review proper: I prefer the Geoff Murphy-directed Young Guns II (1990) over the original, but I think it’s because the relationships are keenly established and just enable the film to jump into things, even when it begins with the central cast separated and a bit at odds with each other. That said, there’s no denying the excitement that comes from watching this cast — especially with so many coming off several hits with many others to come — interacting with one another, playing a variation on the “good guy criminal” within a narrative that utilizes a long-standing issue within America as a country built by immigrants, but not necessarily welcoming to them stay and build something for themselves. That’s the crux of the plot, with the script from John Fusco (The Highwaymen) merging reported truths with a splash of Hollywood magic. What it does not downplay, and still manages to hit even now, is the way in which a person’s word should always matter and when one not only fails to live up to it, but does so with malicious intent (greed and xenophobia via the English vs. Irish elements), violent action is quite nearly justified. Of course, this implies that we forget that Tunstall’s Regulators (in the film) are deputized to capture Tunstall’s killers, making their initial actions legal until things are pushed too far (because of Bonney) and they lose their legal protections. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the bulk of the first act allows for the Regulators to exist as more than just archetypes of a certain Old West cowboy, so that we come to believe in them as people and understand why they would upend their lives to protect Tunstall, going so far as to become outlaws to capture his murderers. Amid it all, there’s comedy, drama, and action that makes this western far more memorable than one may expect, likely why it’s receiving a special edition for its 35th anniversary.
YOUNG GUNS Best Buy steelbook exclusive.
Speaking of, the 35th anniversary edition is not just a reskin — they put in some work. The prior Blu-ray release, which released from Vestron as part of their retro series, only includes the “Billy the Kid: The True Story” documentary, “Out of the Blu” trivia, and audio options for English 5.1, English Dolby Digital EX, and English 6.1 DTS HD. The Blu-ray included with the new edition includes a change in artwork on the disc (from the cast photo usually on the poster to a simple title and a photo of a hand firing a gun in an artistically designed manner); audio commentary from Phillips, Mulroney, and Siemaszko; two trailers (teaser and theatrical); the aforementioned “Billy the Kid” documentary; and a new 36-minute documentary titled “How the West Was Wild: Making Young Guns.” For longtime fans of the series, your first stop is likely to be either the audio commentary or new doc, pre or post rewatch, of course. Nostalgia only goes so far and an anniversary edition flaunting a new look and sound needs to live up to its reputation.
On this aspect, Young Guns both looks and sounds much improved. There’s still plenty of visible grain and the wider shots early in the film aren’t quite so sharp, but the close-ups offer more detail and, in most cases, natural tone. The quick transition shot of Tunstall and the Regulators riding at night to the party is beautiful, the fiery orange of the setting sun breaking through the stark black of the ground, making the silhouettes of the riders more distinct. Considering that the film takes place in Old West New Mexico, the area isn’t exactly bounding in vibrancy, yet the inclusion of HDR does allow for the higher range of color. This of course means that the darker scenes are even more so with the use of natural lighting, which does reduce the clarity of what we can see but in a way that makes the scenework more natural. Admittedly, the grain is quite heavy, especially in the scene of Tunstall’s murder, but I don’t recall it looking quite so lovely before in the way the blue-gray of the sky makes up the bulk of the background. On the downside, in the scene where Billy kills McCloskey (Geoffrey Blake), the skin looks more off-brown and the blood is strangely off in a weird unnaturally vibrant red.
Be advised that there are only two audio settings, Dolby Atmos or Original English 2.0 Stereo , but it still plays wonderfully on a 5.1 surround stereo that can’t play Atmos (such as mine). This new audio track is balanced well with the dialogue not overpowered by surrounding noise (like the music at the party) or gun fire in the action. In the first gunfight going after Tunstall’s killers, the sound of gun shots fill the viewing space, but never overtake. One just gets the sense of chaos. Most importantly, Estevez’s iconic Billy laugh just echoes, bringing a maniacal joy to whatever he reacting to.
While this reviewer’s preference may be for the second film, there’s no denying that that film wouldn’t exist if the first weren’t damn good. The cast is strong, delivering performances that always feel honest and in the moment, thereby making the violence that they must enact and endure all the more tense for us, as well as them. While it certainly seems impossible that a sequel could’ve ever been made when Doc is really the only one not severely injured by the end, a film like Young Guns proves that sometimes being more myth or legend than reality leads to greater entertainment and lasting legacy.
Young Guns Special Features:
- *New* How the West Was Wild: Making Young Guns featuring new cast/crew interviews (35:51)
- *New* Audio Commentary with actors Dermot Mulroney, Lou Diamond Phillips and Casey Siemaszko
- Billy the Kid: The True Story
- Teaser Trailer
- Theatrical Trailer
- Exclusive character art cards as part of the Best Buy release
Available on 4K UHD and digital December 5th, 2023.
For more information, head to the official Morgan Creek Entertainment Young Guns webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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