Movie Review: Billy The Kid (1941)

Genre: Western  

Director: David Miller  

Starring: Robert Taylor, Brian Donlevy, Gene Lockhart, Ian Hunter  
Running Time: 94 minutes  

Synopsis: Notorious gunslinger William "Billy the Kid" Bonney (Robert Taylor) is hired by evil cattle baron Hickey (Gene Lockhart), who is locked in a dispute with rival cattle owner Keating (Ian Hunter). Billy gets re-acquainted with childhood friend Jim Sherwood (Brian Donlevy), now working for Keating, and switches sides. Keating believes in law and order and tries to convince Billy to abandon his outlaw methods, but with Hickey intent on stirring up trouble, avoiding violence will not be easy.

What Works Well: The Monument Valley backdrops provide a scenic setting, the script is packed with sharp dialogue, and director David Miller keeps the action moving briskly. Billy's exposure to the potential joys of peaceful domesticity is handled with sensitivity, and enough is revealed about his background (he was still a child when he sought revenge on the men who got away with murdering his father) to explain his disillusionment with the rules. Gene Lockhart (the self-satisfied slimeball Hickey) and Ian Hunter (the empathetic mentor Keating) offer robust support at either end of the ethical spectrum.

What Does Not Work As Well: The plot is only loosely based on facts. The real Billy died at 21, and Robert Taylor at 30 (and looking older) cannot convey the audacity of youth. Studio-bound close-ups are awkwardly (and frequently) inserted into the exterior shots.

Key Quote:

Billy: I got a horse and the west is wide.

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