Plot
In 1870s Lincoln County, New Mexico, English cattleman John Tunstall hires a wayward young gunman named Billy to join the "Lincoln County Regulators, Regulators" who live and work on his ranch: Doc Scurlock, Jose Chavez y Chavez, Richard M. Brewer, Dick Brewer, "Dirty" Steve Stephens, and Charlie Bowdre. Tunstall tries to educate and civilize the young men in his employ, and clashes with rival rancher Lawrence Murphy, a well-connected Irishman in league with the corrupt Santa Fe Ring. One of Murphy's hired hands, McCloskey, joins up with Tunstall, while Doc attempts to court Murphy's ward, Yen Sun. Murphy's men kill Tunstall, leading his lawyer friend Alexander McSween to arrange for the Regulators to be deputized and given warrants for the killers' arrest. Hotheaded Billy challenges Dick's authority as the group's foreman, as the Regulators attempt to take Murphy's henchmen in alive. Instead, Billy guns down several unarmed men, including McCloskey, whom he suspects of still working for Murphy. Newspapers paint the Regulators as a deadly gang headed by a larger-than-life outlaw, "Billy the Kid". With bounty hunters seeking them all over the West and unsure where to go, Chavez leads the others on a peyote trip. One of the men on their warrants, Buckshot Roberts, tracks them down and a shootout ensues. Roberts barricades himself in an outhouse and kills Dick, leading the others to go on the run, while an injured Doc goes his own way. Chavez reveals that Murphy's corruption led to the deaths of his mother and her Navajo tribe, and urges the others to abandon their need for bloodshed, but Billy takes charge as their new leader, determined to avenge Tunstall. Doc visits Yen Sun before rejoining the gang, and they kill the corrupt Sheriff Brady and his men. They meet with a furious Alex, who explains that their badges have been revoked. Though they are now wanted men, Billy insists that their actions will bring attention to Murphy's corruption. While Charlie revisits a brothel, Billy kills an arrogant bounty hunter, and the gang escapes to Mexico, where Charlie marries a local woman. Soon-to-be-sheriff Pat Garrett warns Billy that Murphy's men will make an attempt on Alex's life the following day. At Alex's house in Lincoln, the gang is surrounded by Murphy's men and famed bounty hunter John Kinney. Realizing that they were lured into a trap, the Regulators survive an entire day's shootout. US Army troops arrive, as does Murphy himself with Yen, who runs inside and is reunited with Doc. Murphy orders the soldiers to set fire to the house, while Alex's wife leaves unharmed and Chavez slips away. Trapped in the burning attic, the gang throws Alex's possessions out of the window, including a trunk with Billy inside, allowing him to surprise their attackers. In the chaos, Chavez returns with their rescued horses, and Charlie and Kinney shoot each other dead. Steve is killed helping Chavez ride away with Doc and Yen, while Alex is gunned down by a Gatling gun, and Billy escapes after shooting Murphy between the eyes. An epilogue from Doc reveals that Chavez took work at a farm in California, Doc moved east and married Yen Sun, Alex's widow became one of the most prominent cattlewomen of all time, and Murphy's ring of corruption collapsed. Billy continued to ride until he was killed by Garrett and buried next to Charlie at Fort Sumner, where someone later carved the epitaph: "PALS".Cast
In addition, Tom Cruise briefly appears in a nonspeaking role as one of Murphy's henchmen.Release
Home media
The film was released on VHS on January 4, 1989 and on DVD on March 17, 1998 by Artisan Home Entertainment.Reception
Box office
The movie was a box-office hit, and grossed $45.7 million in the US and Canada. Internationally it grossed $11 million for a worldwide total of $56 million.Critical response
The film received mixed reviews from critics. It holds a 42% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 4.6/10 with the consensus: "''Young Guns'' rounds up a posse of attractive young leads, but this cheerfully shallow Brat Pack western ultimately has too much hat and not enough cattle." Metacritic gave the film a score of 50 based on 13 people, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale. The movie was deemed closer to history in some ways than earlier cinematic incarnations of the Lincoln County War. The relationship between Tunstall and Murphy was particularly close to the historical reality (as it was in ''Chisum''). The killings of Hill and McCloskey are also particularly close to the historical record as well. The portrayals of Josiah Gordon "Doc" Scurlock, Jose Chavez y Chavez, Richard "Dick" Brewer, and Charlie Bowdre, all of whom are not in earlier cinematic versions of the story are praised, whereas the absence of John Chisum is noticeable.Sequel
A sequel, titled ''Young Guns II'', was released in 1990.References
External links
* * * * {{Billy the Kid 1988 films 1980s buddy films 1988 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films Biographical films about Billy the Kid Cultural depictions of Pat Garrett Lincoln County Wars American buddy films Biographical films about criminals 1980s English-language films Films produced by John Fusco Films set in New Mexico Films shot in New Mexico Films produced by Joe Roth Films set in the 1870s 20th Century Fox films Artisan Entertainment films Morgan Creek Productions films Vestron Pictures films Films scored by Anthony Marinelli Films directed by Christopher Cain Films with screenplays by John Fusco 1980s American films