I love westerns, and here’s one from 1973 that you should look for, because it tells the story of legendary Wild West Outlaw Billy The Kid.
Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid is a classic for three reasons:
3- James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson
James Coburn was a big star at the time, and he brought just the right touch of “fatigue” to lawman Pat Garrett, while singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson had the brash arrogance of a cocky stud, turning “Billy The Kid” into a rock star.
Kristofferson had written huge hit songs at that time, including “Help Me Make It Through The Night”, and “Me & Bobby McGee”, which Janis Joplin turned into one of the biggest songs of its time.
Speaking of music:
2-Knockin’ On Dylan’s Door!
The film includes the classic song “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”, written for the film by Bob Dylan, who has a co-starring role in the film…and he does a great job.
The main reason to love this film is simple: it was directed by Sam Peckinpah, who also made The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs and The Getaway among many other action classics.
In this case, Peckinpah achieved Hollywood infamy for this picture taken from the set:
1-The Notorious “Director On A Stretcher” Pic!
The film studio MGM was hearing that Director Peckinpah was unable to work due to his heavy drinking. So as a joke, a photo was taken which showed him on a stretcher being fed whiskey through an IV bottle while cast members carried him.
The film shows how the two men took different paths in life, but those paths would inevitably bring them back together in a very violent way. A box office failure at the time, Peckinpah’s masterpiece would be released on home video in his original Director’s Cut and is now considered on of his finest films.
Checkout the trailer: