Young Guns

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Young Guns

R

1988

1h 47m

Western

Action

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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

The 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

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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

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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

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

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

Rated: 2/4

Oct 4, 2023

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David Sterritt

Christian Science Monitor

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

Mar 25, 2019

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Jason H

To call this "cheesy" would be an insult to cheese. The music score is atrocious. There are a few good moments here and there, but mostly it's a waste of time. The sequel is far better.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/28/25

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NR D

I rate movies based upon entertainment that I received value. I'm almost 80 years old so this is not a kids review. At one time in life I walked into a large Blockbuster and eventually walked out without a movie because after being in there over an hour I realized I had watched the entire inventory. So I sort of seen a lot of movies. I've seen Young Guns three times, I really liked the movie and got a great deal of entertainment from it. Today many years after Young Guns came out, I still think the choice of Emilio Estevez and the script they wrote for him was brilliant casting and scripting. All the characters gave me a good show.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/09/25

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Stephen C

1 hour and 47 minutes of Western fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/27/25

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Chief B

One of my favorite movies. The cast is superb and for me Emilio Estevez steals the show.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/23/25

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Audience Member

Very entertaining western. Emilio Estevez shines in this one (He also the hockey coach in Mighty Ducks). The ending was good the fight scenes were good. I don't really have much to complain about so if you're looking for a pretty good western, I think this will satisfy.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

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Frans B

Mostly watched it on account of the soundtrack, which was awesome. Really well done, not too serious and surely not shallow. Lots of memorable one liners. Great photography and scenery. Very entertaining and exciting enough

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/19/25

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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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: 20th Century Fox, Morgan Creek Productions
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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