Young Guns

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Young Guns

R

Released Aug 12, 1988

1h 47m

Western

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

43%

Tomatometer

40 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

The year is 1878, Lincoln County. John Tunstall, a British ranch owner, hires six rebellious boys as "regulators" to protect his ranch against the ruthless Santa Fe Ring. When Tunstall is killed in an ambush, the Regulators, led by the wild-tempered Bill the Kid (Emilio Estevez), declare war on the Ring. As their vendetta turns into a bloody rampage, they are branded outlaws, becoming the objects of the largest manhunt in Western history.

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Critics 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.

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Ed Potton

Times (UK)

... If you don’t take it too seriously it’s an entertaining romp.

Aug 5, 2022

Full Review

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

A grownup could die in this wasteland.

Mar 25, 2019

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Tribune

''Young Guns'' is a very Dean-ish, sensitive delinquent melodrama disguised, for no good reason, as a western.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 25, 2019

Full Review

Aaron Neuwirth

Why So Blu

To my surprise, there’s a movie here that features a fair amount of grit.

Rated: 7/10

Dec 13, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Too much pretty-boy posturing by several of its Brat Pack stars.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 4, 2023

Full Review

David Sterritt

Christian Science Monitor

The polite word for his kind of filmmaking is "classical.'' Another word is "trite."

Mar 25, 2019

Full Review

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Rosana B

Um ótimo filme de faroeste estadunidense dos anos 80, com grandes nomes, o grande elenco justifica-se pela grande história num roteiro adorável, divertido, familiar e de união, fraternidade, amizade, e busca de justiça, adoro esses faroestes biográficos retratados de maneira leve, despretensiosa e cômica, um trecho da vida de Billy, the Kid e os "Reguladores", os justiceiros injustiçados, excelente produção, caracterização cativante, roteiro ágil, apaixonante… Bora para a sequência…

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/15/24

Full Review

Chuck Houck C

Full of 1980's corniness, if you're in the mood for some vacant entertainment with a little bit of nostalgia, Young Guns is great for those last 2 beers after midnight on a Friday night.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/24/24

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Adam P

One of my favorite western films. Excellent cast! Great Story! Great Ending! A film I can watch over and over again.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/15/24

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Matthew A

Just watched it again on 4k blu-ray and WOW is it better than I remembered. Probably because it got overshadowed in my brainpan by its successor Young Guns 2 with its awesome soundtrack. Highly recommended (especially on 4k blu-ray)!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/05/23

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Zach T

An eighties western classic.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/04/23

Full Review

B-HoleShebang !

Emilio Estevez as BillyThe Kid is part psychopath and part hyena, laughing hysterically as he guns people down. He seeks vengeance for the murder of a man he barely knows, not that he needs an excuse to kill people, but he continuously puts his own life in danger because he's adventurous, I guess. Following him is a great cast of young actors, but it's not really clear why they follow him, as they would be much better off seeking their vengeance without Billy. Charlie Sheen plays the ultimate voice of reason for the group. Who saw that coming? Jack Palance plays our ultimate bad guy. An Irish gangster/cow barron without the slightest attempt at an Irish accent. It's basically the same character he played the following year in Batman. When he calls out for his sex slave "China" I half expect him to accidentally call out "Sugar Bumps." The best part of the film is the score. It's so fantastically cheesy 80's, and set against the old west, it is weird and wonderful. Not the best film overall, but a great cast, and really fun to watch!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/11/23

Full Review

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Christopher Cain

Director

Emilio Estevez

William H. Bonney

Kiefer Sutherland

Josiah Gordon 'Doc' Scurlock

Lou Diamond Phillips

Jose' Chavez y Chavez

Charlie Sheen

Richard Brewer

Dermot Mulroney

Dirty Steve Stephens

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Young Guns: Official Clip - Chavez's Vision

2:52

Young Guns: Official Clip - Let's Dance

2:34

Young Guns: Official Clip - You and I

1:36

Young Guns: Official Clip - He's a Spy!

2:24

Young Guns: Official Clip - The Peyote Trip

2:10

Young Guns: Official Clip - Get Ready for Hell

2:46

Young Guns: Official Clip - The Peyote Ritual

1:25

Young Guns: Official Clip - Reap It!

3:06

Young Guns: Official Clip - I'm Gonna Kill Billy the Kid

2:41

Young Guns: Official Clip - Bathroom Arrest

1:49

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Synopsis

The year is 1878, Lincoln County. John Tunstall, a British ranch owner, hires six rebellious boys as "regulators" to protect his ranch against the ruthless Santa Fe Ring. When Tunstall is killed in an ambush, the Regulators, led by the wild-tempered Bill the Kid (Emilio Estevez), declare war on the Ring. As their vendetta turns into a bloody rampage, they are branded outlaws, becoming the objects of the largest manhunt in Western history.

Director: Christopher Cain
Producer: Christopher Cain, James G. Robinson
Screenwriter: John Fusco
Distributor: Vestron Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Artisan Entertainment
Production Co: Morgan Creek Productions, 20th Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Western, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 12, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 2, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $43.4M
Runtime: 1h 47m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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