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Young Guns - Special Edition

There's nothing more annoying than watching a period movie with modern influences where they simply don't belong. Case in point: "Young Guns," which makes the fatal mistake of infusing a late-1800's Western setting with late-1980's rock rhythms on the soundtrack. It's the first in a series of flaws that eventually bog the movie down, aided by the ever-idiotic screenplay, the stone-faced acting, and the lack of any energy to the proceedings that stems from the material's inability to lend anything new to the genre. ***

The film tells the story of William H. Bonney (Emilio Estevez), otherwise known as Billy the Kid, who would become a part of the "regulators," a group of five other men (Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, and Casey Siemaszko) who work to protect British ranch owner John Tunstall (Terence Stamp). At that time, the notorious Santa Fe Ring was at large, and when they finally succeed in taking Tunstall's life early on in the film, the regulators vow vengeance, becoming members of the law before they are branded outlaws in the aftermath of Bonney's impulse killings and thirst for revenge. ***

You can appreciate "Young Guns" as an over-the-top, spectacle-laden Western with all the empty calories of a Big Mac, but that doesn't stop it from looking cheesy. Granted, there is a certain amount of zeal to some of the stake-out sequences, and the final showdown between the law and the regulators is at least marginally entertaining, even if it is completely redundant after the first five minutes. Director Christopher Cain gives his film a sheen through meticulous production design and authenticity than any genre buff will appreciate. But when it comes to making John Fusco's screenplay something richer, it's a lost cause. There is a great lack of interest in these characters, despite some noticeable effort from the sextet of actors; we never really see them as anything more than pawns in this game of cat-and-mouse. The film suffers a great deal from this, as well as from the overall lack of intrigue about the life of Billy the Kid as seen through the eyes of the filmmakers. It certainly seems as if he was a lively character; too bad that "Young Guns" doesn't really capture that essence of free-wheeling that is so integral to its success.

A much-needed improvement over the previous 2001 non-anamorphic release, this new remaster of "Young Guns" looks pretty darn good. Presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the overall picture exhibits generally good clarity, with sharp edges that give way to some minor enhancement artifacts, and small object detail that is pleasing. Colors are nicely saturated and faithful to reality, although fleshtones look somewhat drained in some scenes. Contrast is overall good, but shadow detail is mediocre at best. The picture boasts some distinct film grain here and there; this may add to the gritty appeal of the movie, or may be a fatal flaw. It's all in the eye of the beholder. ***

The sound has also been given a lavish remastering as well, presented in both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks, which beats the old 2.0 track of the previous disc by a longshot. There aren't too many differences that I noticed between the DTS and Dolby tracks, and both perform quite admirably once they get up on their feet. The surrounds take some time to become engaged, but once they do, they perform very well with music and sound effects. Gunshots are loud and aggressive in the high end, but don't really have much of a low-end presence. Dialogue sounds pleasing, and imaging is mostly good, but not always a factor. All-in-all, this is a fine new transfer that the fans will appreciate.

In addition to the commentary we also have a subtitled trivia track, "Gunning for the Facts," to accompany the feature. Following suit with Paramount's "Star Trek" special editions, these subtitled factoids give us even more backstory and related info about the movie, the cast members, the characters, and the history of the real deal. And anyone who enjoys a good history lesson will not want to pass up the documentary "Billy the Kid: The True Story." Told from the point of view of various historians, we learn all the gritty details about the life of William H. Bonney, from his early days in Silver City, New Mexico, to the post-regulators series of events that would eventually end in his death. This is a highly-informative piece, and very well-presented, I might add. ***

Closing out the disc is the film's original trailer, and a gallery of trailers promoting other Artisan special edition DVD releases.