From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Young Guns
Young Guns
Young Guns except television)
Warner Bros. Television (domestic
television distribution)
Release date(s) August 12, 1988
Running time 107 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $11,000,000[1]
Box office $45,661,556 (domestic)
Young Guns is a 1988 action/western film, directed by
Christopher Cain and written by John Fusco. The film was
the first to be produced by Morgan Creek Productions.
The film stars Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Di-
amond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, Casey
Siemaszko, Terence Stamp, Terry O’Quinn, Brian Keith,
and Jack Palance.[1]
Young Guns is a retelling of the adventures of Billy
Theatrical release poster the Kid during the Lincoln County War, which took place
in New Mexico during 1877–1878. It was filmed in and
Directed by Christopher Cain around New Mexico. Historian Dr. Paul Hutton has called
Produced by Christopher Cain "Young Guns" the most historically accurate of all prior
John Fusco Billy the Kid films. It opened #1 at the box office, eventu-
James G. Robinson ally earning $45 million from a moderate $11 million bud-
Joe Roth
get. A sequel, Young Guns II was released in 1990.
Paul Schiff
Irby Smith
Written by John Fusco Plot
Starring Emilio Estevez John Tunstall (Terence Stamp), an educated Englishman
Kiefer Sutherland and cattle rancher in Lincoln County, New Mexico, hires
Lou Diamond Phillips wayward young gunmen to live and work on his ranch.
Charlie Sheen Tunstall is in heavy competition with another well-con-
Dermot Mulroney
nected rancher named Murphy (Jack Palance) and their
Casey Siemaszko
Jack Palance men clash on a regular basis. Tunstall recruits Billy
Terence Stamp (Emilio Estevez) and advises him to renounce violence
Brian Keith saying that "He who sows the wind will reap the whirl-
Terry O’Quinn wind." Tensions escalate between the two camps, result-
Music by Brian Banks ing in the murder of Tunstall. Billy, Doc (Kiefer Suther-
Anthony Marinelli land), Chavez (Lou Diamond Phillips), Dick (Charlie
Sheen), Dirty Steve (Dermot Mulroney), and Charlie
Cinematography Dean Semler
(Casey Siemaszko), consult their lawyer friend Alex (Ter-
Editing by Jack Hofstra ry O’Quinn), who manages to get them deputized and giv-
Studio Morgan Creek Productions en warrants for the arrest of Murphy’s murderous hench-
men.
Distributed by 20th Century Fox (U.S. and Canada) Billy quickly challenges Dick’s authority as leader,
Vestron Pictures (outside North America)
vowing revenge against Murphy and the men responsible
Lionsgate (current distributor for all media
for killing Tunstall. The men call themselves "The Regu-
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Young Guns
lators" and arrest some of the murderers, but hot-head- shot multiple times by the Army and Murphy’s men. He
ed Billy is unable to wait for justice. He guns down un- falls into a dirty puddle, dead.
armed men and goes on to kill one of his fellow Regula- Alex cheers on the boys as they ride away. The army
tors in the paranoid (but correct) belief that he was still opens fire on him with a Gatling gun and he is killed.
in league with Murphy. The men are stripped of their As the remaining men ride away, Murphy hurls threats
badges, which they find out about by reading a newspa- and curses after them, but is stunned when Billy turns
per. That same paper also confuses Dick for Billy, show- back, beyond gunshot range of most normal men. Saying,
ing a picture of Dick labeled "Billy the Kid," a nickname "Reap it Murphy, you son of a bitch", he makes another
to which Billy takes an immediate liking. impossible long-range pistol shot, Hitting Murphy right
While the local authorities begin their hunt for Billy between the eyes killing him.
and the boys, The Regulators argue about continuing The final scene is a voice over of Doc explaining what
with their warrants or to go on the run. One of the men happened afterward. In Doc’s explanation, he includes
on their list of warrants tracks them down, barricades that Alex’s widow caused a congressional investigation
himself in an outhouse, and Dick dies in an intense into the Lincoln County War. Chavez took work at a farm
shootout. Billy appoints himself as the new leader, the in California; Doc moved east to New York and married
gang becomes famous and the U.S. Army is charged with Yen Sun, whom he had saved from Murphy; and Billy
bringing them to justice under Murphy’s corrupt politi- continued to ride until he was found and shot dead by Pat
cal influence. Garrett, who in this film is shown as barely knowing Billy.
One of the members gets married in Mexico. The gang Billy was buried next to Charlie Bowdre at Fort Sumner.
eludes attention for some time, but is tracked down and A stranger went to the grave of Billy the Kid late at night
trapped while in the home of their lawyer on the main and made a carving into the headstone. The epitaph read
street of Lincoln, New Mexico. Another intense shootout only one word: "PALS".
begins as the authorities enter the house. Billy once again
shows his shooting prowess by first calling out one of the
besiegers by name, then killing him with a snap long-
Cast
range gunshot out the window that should have been • Emilio Estevez as Billy the Kid
impossible with a handgun. A ceasefire is called for the • Kiefer Sutherland as Doc Scurlock
night, but the battle continues the next morning when • Lou Diamond Phillips as Jose Chavez y Chavez
the Army rolls in, accompanied by Murphy. They torch • Charlie Sheen as Richard "Dick" Brewer
the house and Chavez runs out the back of the house, • Dermot Mulroney as "Dirty Steve" Stephens
causing Steve to assert that he has deserted the gang. As • Casey Siemaszko as Charlie Bowdre
the house begins to burn down, the men come up with • Terence Stamp as John Tunstall
an escape plan. They begin throwing the possessions of • Jack Palance as Lawrence G. Murphy
Alex, their lawyer, out the windows of the second floor. • Terry O’Quinn as Alexander McSween
Billy places himself inside of a large trunk, and when it • Sharon Thomas as Susan McSween
lands in front of the house, he takes his opponents by • Geoffrey Blake as J. McCloskey
surprise when he leaps out and begins to open fire. • Brian Keith as Buckshot Roberts
Almost at the same time, Doc bursts out of the wind- • Patrick Wayne as Pat Garrett
ing stairway leading to the top floor with guns blazing, • Tom Cruise as Cowboy (uncredited)
followed by Charlie and Steve. As all the men make it • Randy Travis as Gatling Gunner (uncredited)
to the lawn, Billy is shot twice in his arms. Charlie chal-
lenges the bounty hunter John Kinney (Allen Keller); Kin-
ney shoots Charlie and Charlie fires back. Charlie kills
Availability and rights issues
Kinney, but in the process takes a few more bullets and Upon the film’s release on home video, Fox surrendered
dies. its North American rights to Vestron Pictures and Video.
Chavez takes the Army by surprise. Screaming "Reg- Today, Lionsgate (Vestron’s successor company) owns
ulators!", he rides in leading horses for the others. He full rights to the movie except domestic television distri-
comes from behind the army and jumps their barricade bution, which under contract is handled by Warner Bros.
to get his extra horses to the surviving Regulators. Billy
jumps on one horse as Doc gets on the other. Doc is shot Box Office
as his girlfriend Yen Sun (Alice Carter), Murphy’s Chinese The movie was a box office hit.[2][3] It grossed $45.6 milli-
sex-slave, screams; he rides over to her and picks her up, on domestically.
and they ride off. Chavez tries to get Steve on a horse, but
is wounded and falls to the ground. Steve helps Chavez
mount a horse and sends the horse off so Chavez can es-
cape, but is then left without a horse and unarmed. He is
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Young Guns
References Seen". The Los Angeles Times.
http://articles.latimes.com/1988-09-01/
[1] ^ "Young Guns’ Aridin’ Thisaway". The Los Angeles entertainment/ca-4524_1_box-office/4. Retrieved
Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1988-05-22/ 2010-12-05.
entertainment/ca-4850_1_young-guns. Retrieved
2010-12-05.
[2] "WEEKEND BOX OFFICE Freddy Shreds the Movie
External links
Competition". The Los Angeles Times. • Young Guns at the Internet Movie Database
http://articles.latimes.com/1988-08-23/ • Young Guns at Rotten Tomatoes
entertainment/ca-756_1_opening-weekend. • Young Guns at Metacritic
Retrieved 2010-12-07. • Young Guns at Box Office Mojo
[3] "Summer Box Office Heats Up Despite Higher
Ticket Prices, Biggest-Grossing Season Since ’84
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Young_Guns&oldid=457085543"
Categories:
• 1988 films
• American action films
• Cultural depictions of Billy the Kid
• English-language films
• Films set in New Mexico
• Films shot in New Mexico
• 20th Century Fox films
• Morgan Creek Productions films
• 1980s Western films
• Vestron Pictures films
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