The Law vs. Billy the Kid

Biographic movie about the real-life of Billy of Kid (Scott Brady) who is forced to kill for the girl he loves as well as becomes embroiled in Lincoln County war . This is an interesting look about the known story of the West's greatest bandit . When a baron cattle called Tunstall who gave him a job is shot by rival henchman , Billy vows vendetta . Meanwhile , he's infatuated by a beatiful girl . Young William Bonney inspires the faith and friendship of Pat Garrett (James Griffith) , despite Bonney's violent past . Lawman Garrett believes that Billy can make a better life for himself, a sentiment shared by rancher John Tunstall, who befriends Billy and gives him an employment . Billy has a crush with Tunstall's niece, Nita Maxwell (Betta St. John) , but the violent Tunstall's foreman , Bob Ollinger (Alan Hale Jr) seeks vengeance . When Billy's new friend , John Tunstall (Paul Cavanagh) , is killed , he goes on a criminal spree , and Pat Garrett, now a tough sheriff , is forced to go after his young friend . Kid takes to the mountains with his colleagues until caught . Billy is detained but he escapes hanging .

The film gets spectacular shoot em'up , thrills , exciting horse pursuits ; it's entertaining , although nothing new but displays an ordinary pace and with no originality . This moving movie is a poor portrait of the historic story about the celebrated gunfighter . The movie is plenty of action , shootouts , adventures and is entertaining enough . The plot is plain and simple , as the story follows Billy the Kid and his rampage of vendetta , taking authentic events , but changing some deeds . This passable Western packs lots of thrills , shootouts , and explosive action . Taut excitement throughout , beautifully photographed and with spectacular crossfire but realized with some flaws and short budget . So-so but enjoyable chronicle of Billy the Kid enthusiastically played by Scott Brady and he is ultimately brought to justice by his old friend Pat Garrett finely performed by James Giffith . It's one of very few Scott Brady Westerns based on historic events . Support cast is pretty well such as James Griffith Alan Hale Jr. , William Tannen ,Gregg Barton and Paul Cavanagh . This cheap film produced by the king of the Quickies , Sam Katzman , was middlingly directed by William Castle .



This one is based on facts about William Bonney, alias Billy the Kid , these are the followings : 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 converted a nasty gunfighter with a price on his head and an outlaw pursued by several posses . Then Billy along with a young group have their own ethic codes and undergo a criminal spree . The bunch is besieged but they went out firing his gun and made his escape . However , the Kid was caught and convicted of killing and sentenced to be hanged ; though shackled foot and hand , he managed to getaway from prison by shooting dead the deputies guarding him. Pat Garret , a former friend, was elected sheriff and set off in pursuit to capture him and on 1881 tracked at Fort Sumner and there shot him dead by surprise. It is said that Chisum was instrumental in making Billy the Kid an outlaw killer, he used his considerable influence in getting Garret elected Sheriff of Lincoln County in 1880 and it was Pat who hunted down and killed the young outlaw . Garret and his gang pull off a hot chase against the outlaws. Legend says that Billy murdered 21 men in his 21 years of life but is really 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 .

This movie is bad. And not in an Ed Wood way kinda bad. No, No, No. This movie bites so bad that if you left it along it would run off and howl at the moon and eventually deliver a whole flock of mindless look-a-likes to your front door, which is where this cur came from in the first place.

The script, such as it is, moves the plot line along at the break neck speed of a depressed three-toed sloth. The cast was assembled much the same as Frankenstein's Monster was. The set looks like it was all borrowed from a dream sequence of Gilligan's Island, which makes sense being as how Alan Hale Jr. appears as one of the baddies.

Hale chews up the scenery like a crazed beaver, spitting out the most atrocious dialog like so much sawdust and toothpicks. His character meets his much needed end in quite possibly the most unconvincing, unrealistic death scene ever to grace a western.

Best viewed with several friends, an endless bowl of popcorn and the mind altering drug of your choice.

The most memorable features of this Sam Katzman quickie is the gravitas James Griffith brings to the role of Pat Garrett and the appearance of the author of 'Ben Hur' as one of the characters.

Scott Brady is far too old and too hefty as The Kid, but at least it's half the length of the Peckinpah version.

Seeing this was a producer Sam Katzman quickie production, I wasn't expecting much. What I got was even less. So why beat a dead horse when a half-dozen reviewers have already mocked the film. I guess I just can't resist it. Besides, maybe someone has finally awakened the sleepwalking Scott Brady. In the long line of Billy the Kid impersonators, his is easily the weariest, from start to finish. But then, he's already pushing middle-age, a 30-year old looking like 40— some Kid! St. John, on the other hand, looks very much a kid, like she just stepped out of a 1950's malt shop, Debbie Reynolds ponytail and all.

Remember, this is supposed to be 1880's eastern New Mexico, even though that desolate prairie looks nothing like the movie's lush San Fernando Valley. I don't mind some liberties with historical accuracy, but this movie is about as accurate as a cartoon. Oh well, it probably played three or four drive-in's, before earning back the fifty bucks Katzman spent on it. I hope I learned my lesson, at least until the next bomb comes down the Western Channel chute.

Law vs. Billy the Kid, The (1954)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

William Castle is best known for his horror films but he did mangle in the western genre for the majority of his career. This Columbia "C" picture has Billy the Kid (Scott Brady) and his buddy Pat Garrett (James Griffith) finding work on a farm but when the owner is killed by a bad sheriff, the kid decides to seek revenge, which will have all the law looking for him. I'm still not too familiar with Castle's western era even though I did sit through Jesse James vs. the Daltons. This film here isn't nearly as entertaining and for the most part this comes off very flat with very little life, action or energy. The biggest problem is that the screenplay is all over the map in what it's trying to do. We see Billy as a good kid and then we see him as a jerk. The film starts off with the relationship between Billy and Pat but then goes off into different directions. I'm really not sure what the point of the movie was but perhaps they were just trying to throw as much stuff they could into a 72-minute movie. Brady is pretty poor as Billy the Kid as he brings no life or energy to the role. Griffith isn't much better as Garrett and Alan Hale, Jr. of the Skipper fame doesn't fare any better. I doubt western fans will find anything worth watching this for so it'll probably have to be seen by those wanting to know what Castle did before making a name for himself with Vincent Price.