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Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

Play trailer Poster for Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid R Released May 23, 1973 2h 2m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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59% Tomatometer 64 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Sheriff Pat Garrett (James Coburn) is ordered by Governor Wallace (Jason Robards) to go after the outlaw Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson) because the cattle businessmen want him caught. Although Garrett and Billy are old friends, the lawman must abide by his duty. However, Garrett and his deputies have great difficulty catching Billy, who is very cunning. Along the way, Billy also gains the assistance of Alias (Bob Dylan), a mysterious knife-wielding stranger.
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Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

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Critics Consensus

Sam Peckinpah's mournful salute to the bygone West achieves moments of ruthless poetry, but clear signs of studio-dictated cuts and oft-unintelligible dialogue will make this dirge a slog for some.

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Critics Reviews

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Jake Cole Slant Magazine The film casts an unsparing eye on the characters’ hypocritical notions of honor. Jul 5, 2024 Full Review Jay Cocks TIME Magazine Even in the maimed state in which it has been released, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is the richest, most exciting American film so far this year. There are moments and whole sequences here that stand among the best Peckinpah has ever achieved. Jun 14, 2022 Full Review Phil Strassberg Arizona Republic Unfortunately, a number of things, such as a clutch of clichés merely remolded to sound different, mar and flaw the otherwise interesting, certainly visually attractive, interpretation by Peckinpah. Jun 14, 2022 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …this is a proper revisionist Western, with heroic mumbling bad-guys, corrupt good guys, all part of a realistic, practical and amoral tone…you’d expect a script written by a man with a name like Rudy Wurlitzer to be arcane and pithy and it sure is that.. Rated: 5/5 Jan 14, 2025 Full Review Joshua Ryan FandomWire I can’t say enough about Kris Kristofferson’s portrayal as Billy the Kid. It’s a performance filled with the charisma and confidence of Steve McQueen, and is arguably (and in my opinion) the coolest anybody has ever been on screen. Rated: 9/10 Oct 1, 2024 Full Review James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk Watching the film in the version that most closely approximates what Peckinpah would have released, I was struck by the balance it achieves between the harsh brutalities of life in the Old West and the striving of its characters to transcend them. Rated: 3/4 Sep 3, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Carlos S Great rythm, superb universe of characters and places, a different look, the infinite sadness of a dying world. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/30/25 Full Review michael d Great music but KK plays the Kid like a one-dimensional Hollywood Star Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/28/25 Full Review Blu B *Seen the 115 Minute Version* All Time Classic. Coburn & K.K. are amaing in this. It's got Sam P.'s trademarks all over it but it is a much more subdued Wild Bunch. It's all about The End of the West and the characters friendship end. The soundtrack is just amazing too and fits so beautifully with the tone of the film. For most of the runtime save for the start and end, we never see Pat or Billy interact and yet they dominate the actions of the other. Having a direct and indirect effect on every scene despite never sharing time together in a not so much slow but steady burn. The characters are just fasinating to explore and dwell on their actions. One sold out and became part of the new age while the other refuses to comply. Really strong direction as well in this too. Everyone should give this a try once. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/16/25 Full Review Anthony J There are themes and some dusty, laconic style but it is tedious to watch in spite of -or maybe because of - all the killing. Dylan's soundtrack is fabulous, but his appearance in the film as a 'mysterious stranger' is a pointless distraction and only included for far too many, 'Hey look, it's Bob Dylan !" moments. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/15/25 Full Review Alexandre O If you like massacre games, go to Luna-Park instead, it's more fun. Caricatural film, better to stick to the audio CD. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 12/22/24 Full Review Deke P GREAT movie, Great cast, iconic Bob Dylan song. Coburn and Kristofferson very charismatic. Of course, the title sounded familiar, but I don't remember ever seeing it until now,, on Grit TV 9.10.24. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/11/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

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Movie Info

Synopsis Sheriff Pat Garrett (James Coburn) is ordered by Governor Wallace (Jason Robards) to go after the outlaw Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson) because the cattle businessmen want him caught. Although Garrett and Billy are old friends, the lawman must abide by his duty. However, Garrett and his deputies have great difficulty catching Billy, who is very cunning. Along the way, Billy also gains the assistance of Alias (Bob Dylan), a mysterious knife-wielding stranger.
Director
Sam Peckinpah
Producer
Gordon Carroll
Screenwriter
Rudy Wurlitzer
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating
R
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 23, 1973, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2008
Runtime
2h 2m
Sound Mix
Mono
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