Year: 1973
Director: Sam Pekinpah
Country: US
Language: English
Recently I had viewed The Wild Bunch (1969) and was blown away by how violent it was, especially considering it was made in the 1960's. Craig Terlson (Author of Surf City Acid Drop) informed me that Director Sam Peckinpah made an even better movie; Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Intrigued, and itching for a new western to see, I decided to give it a look.
In this Pat Garrett (James Coburn) is hired as a lawman on behalf of a group of wealthy New Mexico cattle barons to bring down his old friend Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson).
Like many of Sam Pekinpah's films, and Western Revisionist pictures of New Hollywood in general, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a somber brooding picture that paints a devastating hostile pitcture of the west. A considerable amount of characters die, morality is captured in shades of grey, and even the children seem eerily content with the amount of violence in their everyday lives. "This country's getting old, and I'm to get old with it." One can easily see the influence in films like No Country for Old Men (2007) and shows like Breaking Bad.
Rich and haunting, Pekinpah's picture is a well-written character study of two men that are at the end of their rope in a country that is ready for a change. Many audiences will consider this better than the renowned The Wild Bunch (1969). I enjoyed Pat Garrett, but I feel the use of Bob Dylan is excessive at times. The repeated use of Knocking on Heaven's Door can take away from a dramatic moment that would have been more impactful in silence.
Drenched in an atmosphere of dread, corruption, and violence, Pat Garrett is a remarkable experience that belongs with the best of Westerns. Kristofferson, whose look reminds me of The Doors' frontman Jim Morrison, does a tremendous job at playing Billy the Kid, as does Coburn with Garrett. I'll have to watch this again to pick up on the film's many thought provoking themes.
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