Regulators! Lionsgate has gotten the gang back together, so to speak, with this 35th anniversary release of Young Guns on 4K UHD Blu-ray. Complete with some new extra material, this enjoyable 80s Western has been given just the polish it needed to truly show how it rides with the best of them. As a retelling of the adventures of Billy the Kid, this movie is mean and lean, with a hip young cast for its time. As one who had never seen the film before, I was quite pleased with the results. On top of that, a good-looking and sounding presentation really helps show how wild the West could be for this fancy steelbook package.
Set in the 1870s, the film tells the story of how a wayward young gunman, Billy (Emilio Estevez), joined the “Regulators,” a posse of cowboys and others who would go on to face many challengers of all types. They are initially led by John Tunstall (Terence Stamp), an English rancher doing his best to help these others. They would include Doc Scurlock (Kiefer Sutherland), Chavez (Lou Diamond Phillips), Dick Brewer (Charlie Sheen), Dirty Steve Stephens (Dermot Mulroney), and Charlie Bowdre (Casey Siemaszko). The plot kicks into gear when a rival rancher, Lawrence Murphy (Jack Palance), decides to wage war against the Regulators, causing all sorts of problems for all.
I have to admit that my curiosity, more than anything, intrigued me to finally sit down and watch Young Guns. I had an impression in my head that this film would play it fairly safe and serve as more of an excuse to watch the “Brat Pack” do a western. To my surprise, there’s a movie that features a fair amount of grit. Sure, it’s also a 1988 feature that feels indebted, in some ways, to Top Gun and The Lost Boys as much as it is to Leone or Hawks, but director Christopher Cain didn’t just make a movie about a bunch of pretty boys with a little dirt on their face.
For his part, Estevez is quite good here; it is perhaps one of his best performances. From what I’ve read, this is surprisingly a fairly accurate representation of the Billy the Kid story, and I feel that informs what Estevez is bringing to the table here. He’s playing Billy as one who respects those who respect him, as well as a wild man behind the gun. Billy cares for his fellow Regulators and will pull his pistol in a second if he believes he has cause. He’s an outlaw, sure, but no different than other romanticized versions of Western characters, and Estevez is channeling what’s necessary.
The rest of the cast provides what’s needed as well, as the film takes itself seriously. There’s no sense of irony here, nor is this a revisionist Western. It’s a straightforward flick featuring a set of people who would say they’re in the right for their actions, even while being challenged. That’s what makes Sutherland and Phillips so good here. Having the most to do outside of Estevez, the two play off their status well. For Kiefer Sutherland, he becomes Billy’s right-hand man and leans into being one of the more sympathetic individuals. Phillips relies on his status as a Mexican-Indian who constantly has to deal with being an outsider of sorts, with a desire to bring justice to his various ethnic backgrounds.
Sheen and the others have less to do, though Mulroney gets to play a man so dirty that even when he bathes, he’s still dirty-looking. The older actors, on the other hand, really get to chew it up. Stamp is fun simply by feeling somewhat against type as a kindly rancher trying to teach his boys manners. Palance is very happy to lean in on his Irish accent and overall villainy in a film that works well with that energy.
That’s the other thing: while the Regulators are serious individuals, this movie is fun. It’s not stepping anywhere near what classic Westerns offer, but it’s also not setting its sights higher than needed. It wants to bring a little realism to the nature of these mythic characters, and the balance in achieving this is quite strong. It makes the shootouts exciting, as the film has its share of violence. Additionally, the stakes are where they should be, as the film doesn’t shy away from taking various pieces off the board (regardless of how well one knows Western history).
While perhaps not joining the leagues of some modern Westerns I love, like The Proposition, Tombstone, or 3:10 to Yuma, I am happy that Young Guns delivers as well as it does. It’s a fun flick that gets in and out pretty quickly, with enough to offer from its ensemble cast and sense of style. It also has me fully prepared to check out the sequel, let alone keep track of the rumored third film. Whatever the case, the Young Guns were loaded and ready for a blast.
