It is set after the Lincoln County War, a range war between rival cattle interests . As Billy became a cowboy in Lincoln County (New Mexico) for cattleman Tunstall allied to Chisum , but Tunstall is killed and started the Lincoln County war against Murphy as main enemy . Billy seeks revenge for his death and he became a nasty gunman with a price on his head and an outlaw pursued by several posses . The Kid was a leading gunman for one faction but Pat Garrett, a former friend of Billy, stayed out of the fighting . Then Pat Garrett was elected sheriff of Lincoln County and set out to capture the young outlaw. Garret and his team pull off a hot chase against the Billy and his henchmen . He caught him and Billy was convicted of killing sheriff Brady and sentenced to be hanged . The story is narrated under sight view a young boy called Rio (Jake Schur) and his sister Sara (Leila George) who witness Billy the Kid's (Dane DeHaan) encounter with Sheriff Pat Garrett (Ethan Hawke).
This is an intense and moving Western about a known gunslinger, William Bonney , alias Billy the Kid , the most famous outlaw-gunfighter of the South-west and his particular relationship to a naive little boy . The film gets spectacular shoot em'up , thrills and emotion ; it's agreeable , although nothing new but displays an ordinary pace and with no originality . This is an interesting look at the known story of the West's greatest bandit . A tense and suspenseful Western with a simple story that engages the viewer until the last scene . The film packs thrills , drama , violence , frantic action , crossfire , and being enough entertaining . It's a medium budget film with acceptable actors , technicians , functional production values and pleasing results . Pretty good and pleasant traditional Western with professional direction and flawlessly acted by Ethan Hawke , Jake Schur , Chris Pratt , Leila George , Adam Baldwin and Dane DeHaan who steals the show as The Kid , and he bears remarkable resemblace to him , including his first appearance similar to the Billy's famous photography . A nice production full of charming characters , shootouts and intense drama . This ¨The Kid¨ not the best Western ever,...but pretty darn close . It packs an evocative cinematography , though I miss more outdoors and gorgeous landscapes . Enjoyable musical score composed and performed by Shelby Gaines and Latham Gaines .The motion picture was well directed by actor/filmmaker Vincent D'Onofrio who played a brief role and previously made Don't go in the Woods. Rating : 6.5/10 . Decent modern Western .
The movie is based on actual events , as Billy was pursued , detained , incarcerated and shackled foot and hand , but he managed to getaway from prison by shooting dead the deputies guarding him . On 15 July 1881 Pat Garret tracked him to the home of Pete Maxwell at Fort Sumner, New Mexico, where Billy was along with his band . Legend says that Billy killed twenty-one men in his twenty-one years of life, the exact figure is not known but is thought to be much less . After Pat Garrett was not reelected sheriff of Lincoln County, however he was commissioned a captain in the Texas Rangers. On 19 February 1908 he was driving his buggy on a lonely desert road, he stepped down to urinate and was shot in the back by a hired killer. A man stood trial for the murder but was acquitted. Controversy still surrounds the end of Pat Garrett.
