When a gang of wayward youngsters’ mentor and father-figure John Tunstall is shot dead, Billy The Kid and his new friends plan to stop the corrupt officials in an unorthodox revenge that turns the gang onto outlaws.
Christopher Cain's Young Guns is a likeable Brat Pack Western with snappy editing, slow motion action and a TV-like atmosphere.
It doesn't have the traditional sweeping feel of classic Westerns but it has enough shoot-outs and horseback chases for this a witty, fun, unlikely friendship movie to have its own legs.
The cast look as if they're having a hoot playing cowboys. Young Emilio Estevez steals the show as unhinged Billy The Kid. He has all the best lines and quips, playing it confident, crazy and larger than life. Kiefer Sutherland offers sophistication and humanity. Lou Diamond Philips oozes charisma, Charlie Sheen (Estevez's real life brother) gives weight and seriousness even if his screen time is short. Casey Siesmasko and humorous Dermot Mulroney are solid enough. Jack Palance and Terence Stamp’s extended cameos are perfect as you’d expect.
Naturally, it's no Tombstone or a patch on the Dollars Trilogy, Once Upon A Time in the West to name a few but if they set about to make an entertaining, flashy MTV Western with an ensemble cast, Cain delivers exactly what it says on the tin.
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