Young Guns 2 (Widescreen)

This is my personal favorite movie. This movie provides a great adventure movie / drama / and western all in one. The characters are portrayed as flawed individuals and not like mythical characters. This allows us to identify with the characters easier than other movies portraying historic American figures. The music used in this movie is perfect. The men are nice to look at. The scenery is great. The movie is fast paced and everyone dies at the end. Everything you could want in a movie.

"Young Guns II" picks up the story of the outlaw capers of Billy the Kid, after they escaped the clutches of the law in the Lincoln County war of New Mexico Territory in the 1870's. There is one unique part of this film that "Young Guns" wasn't able to use, and that is, in the 1950's, an old-timer named Brushy Bill Roberts claimed to be William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid. Brushy Bill desires a pardon, says that the governor of 1870's New Mexico, Lew Wallace, promised him one, but never came through on that promise. Now, he is willing to tell his story to the media, in exchange for a pardon from the current governor. The reporter is, of course, skeptical, wants some proof of Brushy Bill's story, and therein lies the story of "Young Guns II." Told in flashback style, the film recounts the few years following Billy's escape from the legal factions in Lincoln County, New Mexico, and his new gang's outlaw capers.

The cast returns several of the actors from the prequel film, and adds some new faces, as well. Besides Emilio Estrevez, Kiefer Sutherland, and Lou Diamond Phillips, the gang adds Christian Slater, who wishes to make a name for himself in outlaw legends. James Coburn adds some class to the film in the role of John Chisum, big ranch owner in the New Mexico territory, and William Petersen plays the role of Pat Garrett, who is hounded by the legal authorities to bring Billy in to justice, dead or alive.

There's the story, and one has to decide for himself, was Brushy Bill really telling the truth as to his being Billy the Kid, or was he simply trying to make a memorable place for himself? The film also features a Golden-Globe Award-winning Best Original Song,"Blaze of Glory" performed by Jon Bon Jovi. A good film to fill an afternoon with, but not quite up to the height of "Young Guns."

Not many sequels surpass their original sibling but this DVD does. Billy's back, so is Pat Garrrett (although he is played by a different actor) and this is the showdown. This movie is the story of an old man claiming to be Billy who is after the pardon he was promised almost a lifetime ago. This movie picks up pretty much a year after Young Guns with the surviving regulators being round up and set for a hanging. Meanwhile Billy is being promised a pardon by the governor in return for testimony against his old enemies who killed John Tunstall. Of course there is no pardon and Billy must escape and rescue his pals. Pat Garrett is of course paid a lot of money to turn on Billy, track him down and bring him to justice.

Out of the two Young Guns movies this is the more well known story of the life of Billy the Kid. You don't actually need to have seen the original to enjoy this movie but the original is pretty good too so you might as well.

The trailer for the movie is also included which is pretty interesting to see how it was marketed in the USA. There's also a featurette which is a sort of behind the scenes, interview with the actors type thing. It's pretty interesting. You can also just watch the credits if you want to listen to Jon Bon Jovi's Blaze of Glory and Billy get Your Guns songs.

Like Young Guns this movie has an excellent cast with Keifer Sutherland, Emilio Estevez, Christian Slater and Lou Diamond Phillips being the most famous ones. My only criticism is that they used William Petersen a different actor to play Pat Garrett than Patrick Wayne who played him in Young Guns. Once you get used to this it doesn't matter. This is a sensational DVD you should buy it as well as Young Guns. If you love the movie consider buying Blaze of Glory the solo album inspired by the film by Jon Bon Jovi as it'll take you back memory wise to the film each time you play it.