Young Guns II (1990)

The Age of Commercialism

Highly Overrated But Still Good

An Exercise In Nonsense

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

As a protocol to those who are top-notch Hollywood performers, they must always make the impression that their respected characters they choose must always be bigger than they really seem, to really feel like they're not just playing the part, however living the roles that's given to them. That also means getting a better perspective of who they are and what makes them stand above everyone else. "Young Guns II: Blaze of Glory" presents an eccentric view of where the performers contribute to the movie more than the people behind the scenes, giving the viewers the sense that there is something more to these characters than what's handed out to them. The writing feels half-done, the direction meanders everywhere but the performances are provocative. The opening scenes take place in 1950 as a lawyer named Charles Phalen (Bradley Whitford) is greeted by an elderly man named Brushy Bill Roberts (Emilio Estevez) who claims to be the infamous outlaw Billy the Kid and now dying wants to come clean with the Governor of New Mexico and wants to be dismissed for the murders of 21 men. When the law maker rebuffs at the geezer's plead, the old timer threatens him with a gun. That doesn't seem eligible for a pardon. but is Brushy Bill really Billy the Kid? For proof, Phalen asks Bill if he's got any kind of scars? The geriatric has scars, but psychic ones and so begins a near ninety-minute flashback. "Young Guns II" is just another retelling in another fan-fiction folklore in rewriting the history of the legend that is Billy the Kid like so many others out there like "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral", "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid", and "The Left-Handed Gun" plus an opera under the penmanship of Aaron Copland. This retelling indicates that that Billy was never a formed or a person lacking in knowledge, but a man who can fire range spot-on, but didn't have the skills to lead a gang. There are so many camera close-ups where he looks so boyish, he looks like like he's not old enough to drink. Acted again by Emilio Estavez, he gives Billy that innocent child-like visage that he seems like the litter of the group rather than leader which includes the returning Doc Scurlock (Kiefer Sutherland), Chavez (Lou Diamond Phillips), new recruits which includes "Arkansas" ave Rudabaugh (Christian Slater) and Pat Garrett (William L. Petersen) who looks more older and more disheveled. This would've been a more authentic Western if they would have cast more experienced performers into the mix like Burt Lancaster, Charles Bronson or Anthony Quinn, here we see what looks like kids playing cowboy with their little toy guns. Westerns were a dying genre in the 1980's and 1990's and with the release of "Young Guns" in 1988, these young performers with their appeal at the time helped reintroduced the genre to the generation X crowd at the time, this movie was the unquestionable choice to launch a sequel. Though he returns to write the sequel, John Fusco's script tends to touch upon all the scenarios that are commonplace in Western movies which at times seems to meander. There's the scenes at the bordello, the clueless ambush at the hillsides, even the final showdown where Pat Garrett and his troop square off against the gang is a letdown. What was the attraction to the Western genre anyway? Why were so many of them were made in the golden age of films? Most of them were racist, formulaic, cliched, violent, remorseless so what was the fuss? Because in those days, films had very limited genres in terms of action and because the advertising and marketing on toys and action figures with a Western theme attracted kids (mostly boys) were common in those days. To me, it was just a cringe induced two hours of cowboys killing Native people and feeling good about it. The only difference here is that in this movie, there's a feeling of remorse for their cruelty and genocide. In the days of Gary Cooper and John Wayne, it was celebrated. Here it's a different story. In this movie, I could not pave out the mental scarring towards the characters. The impression I got was that the antagonists were just led to the wrong direction with a more reliable leader, they could have been better individuals. I only see these guys as rebels not by choice but by poor decision making which led them to hanging with the wrong people. Sure the physical atmosphere has Western spelled all over it, and there are times when the characters have something going for them, but the script never indicates what it is. The old timer narrates the story with a geezer husky voice detailing about the opaque events from the Old Frontier, which is what we get in this uninspiring sequel.

This was the movie I remembered the first 'Young Guns' to be. More energetic, focused. Tighter direction (Geoff Murphy replacing Christopher Cain) and a much better score, this time by Alan Silvestri.New cast members fill in more than adequately, particularly Christian Slater as "Arkansas" Dave Rudabaugh and William Peterson (replacing Patrick Wayne) as Pat Garrett. The most fascinating aspect is integrating the tale of Brushy Bill Roberts, who came forward in the 1940s claiming to be the real Billy the Kid. A claim never fully disputed, and with its share of evidence and supporters to this day. That said, the "history" here is dubious, with Pat Garrett being re-imagined as Billy's former friend and cohort so as to make it all more personal. Still, it's a moderately entertaining Western-lite and a definite improvement over the original.

So sings Jon Bon Jovi who was hired to sing the sound track to the original 1988 'Young Guns' film. Perhaps 'Blaze of Glory' shouldn't really have been mentioned in the title, as it does give more than a clue as to the cast's fate.Blaze of Glory is set a few years after the 'young guns'' first outing. Since we last saw them, Billy the Kid has killed yet more people (but they probably deserve d it, so we still like him anyway) and stolen yet more cattle (I guess we have to assume that they deserved in, too). So, naturally, he's even more wanted by the law than the last time we saw him. But it's not all bad news for him – he's got a new posse and, in the first third of the film, he's got his two former pals, Doc Hollywood and Chavez back in tow.However, just when our little Billy's happily getting reacquainted with his mates, his former friend Pat Garrett only decides to accept a massive pay-off to bring in the band of outlaws. So Billy finds himself on the run again (to the grinding guitar sound of Jon Bon Jovi – some might say that makes his situation even worse).Basically, Young Guns II: Blaze of Glory, is more of the same. Now, that could have been a bad thing if the first film had been pretty dull, yet, actually it's no bad thing – assuming you liked the first instalment. There's nothing particularly new here. The plot is almost identical, just with a few new baddies and a few new members of Billy's gang. There is a kind of sub-plot involving the (almost) modern day where a man claims he actually was Billy the Kid and a journalist is trying to deduce whether or not he's telling the truth, but that probably could have been left on the cutting room floor if the producers had been pushed for time.If you liked the original, you'll probably like this, too. It's definitely more of the same and is a fun *modern* cowboy romp. If you don't like cowboy films in general, this one probably won't win you over.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Young Guns 2: Part 2, is as much an ensemble piece as the first film was. Survivors from the first film (Shat Pack favourites- Charlie 'Mr' Sheen, Ann Diamond Phillips, Emilio 'I wish I was Michael J Fox' Extevez, and Keifer 'Lost Boy' Southland) come together again with a host of new pups including Jonathan Bon Jovi, Chuck Norris, Muslim Slater, and Conrad Dorito. The plot follows the gang coming together again after the exploits of the first film- they have all been on the run from legendary law man Wyatt Ear who believes they are responsible for several murders and atrocities. Since the first film most have gone their separate ways. Billy The Boy has been rampaging through Texas robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, then killing the poor, and eating the rich. Doc has been on holiday in Mexico, has got himself a gal and spends his days making poetry, his night making sweet love. Neil Diamond Philips has been off on some sort of Spirit Guide affair, finding his inner Peyote and living in peace. They realise though that White Herpy is getting close and absolutely will not stop, ever, until they are dead. Or arrested. They need to ride once more, not Runaway, they may go down in a Blaze of Glory, but at least Someday they'll be Saturday night.This film is basically a remake of the first, albeit with a new plot and characters. It teaches you a lot about the Cowboys that used to roam about England before it was renamed America. There are shoot outs, drinking, women, and horses- everything you would expect in a good Western/Blue movie. We learn that Jimmy The Kid is actually one of the few remaining Demi-Mortals- humans who age anything from 2 to ten times slower than the rest of us. Whether or not this has been proved to be historically true is open for debate as no body was ever found and some claim to see him giggling and jumping through their wheat fields at night while they sit on their porch rocking chair sipping Sasparella.Best Scene: When they are trapped with their backs to the wall and decide to charge out firing their guns in slow motion as the picture fades to sepia, and Living On A Prayer plays in the background. It makes me wish I was a Cowman and roam the desert shooting hippies!