Young Guns II is a 1990 western film, and the sequel to Young Guns (1988). It stars Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christian Slater, and features William Petersen as Pat Garrett. It was written and produced by John Fusco and directed by Geoff Murphy.

It follows the life of William H. Bonney aka Billy the Kid (played by Emilio Estevez), in the years following the Lincoln County War in which Billy was part of "The Regulators" — a group of around 6 highly skilled gunmen avenging the death of John Tunstall — and the years before Billy's documented death. The film, however, is told by Brushy Bill Roberts, a man who in the 1940s appeared claiming to be the real Billy the Kid.

While the film takes some creative license, it does show some of the key events leading up to Billy's documented death, including his talks with Governor Lew Wallace, his capture by friend-turned-foe Pat Garrett, his trial and his subsequent escape in which he killed two deputies.

Plot[link]

The film opens in 1950 with a young attorney talking to an elderly man named Brushy Bill Roberts, who claims that he is William H. Bonney (aka Billy The Kid), whom "everyone" knows to have been shot and killed by Pat Garrett in 1881. The majority of the film takes place in flashbacks as the old man recalls his story for the lawyer, who asks if the man has any proof that he is the famous outlaw.

Brushy Bill's story begins with the remaining Regulators having gone their separate ways. Billy has become part of a new gang with "Arkansas" Dave Rudabaugh (Slater) and Pat Garrett (Petersen). The New Mexico governor has issued warrants for the arrests of those involved in the Lincoln County wars, including Billy, Doc Scurlock (Sutherland), and Jose Chavez y Chavez (Phillips), who are dragged into town and imprisoned to await hanging.

Meanwhile, Billy meets with the new governor Lew Wallace who agrees to pardon Billy if he testifies against the Dolan-Murphy faction. Billy soon finds out that he was tricked into being arrested with no chance of testifying against his old enemies. After escaping, Billy along with the help of Rudabaugh and Garrett, pose as a lynch mob to spring his old comrades from a hanging. When the gang successfully escape Lincoln, Billy mentions the Mexican Blackbird (a broken trail only he and few others know that leads down to Mexico). Garrett decides not to go with the gang and, instead, open a boarding house. As they make a run for the border along with farmer Hendry William French (Alan Ruck) and 14 year old Tom O'Folliard (Balthazar Getty), cattle baron John Simpson Chisum and Governor Wallace approach Garrett to offer him the job as Lincoln County Sheriff and $1000 to use whatever resources he needs to hunt Bonney down and kill him. Garrett agrees and, forming a posse, begins his pursuit of the gang.

Billy and the gang soon come to the town of White Oaks where they meet up with former companion, Jane Greathouse (Jenny Wright) who runs a local bordello. Later that night, the town lynch mob comes for the gang and are intent on a hanging. Deputy Carlisle tries to negotiate a deal, "the Indian" (Chavez) for a safe rideout. Billy refuses the offer and pushes the Deputy out the door, who is then accidentally killed by the lynch mob. Garrett soon tracks Billy to the bordello, but is too late. Billy and his gang are continuously tracked by the posse, narrowly evading capture, but Tom (being mistaken for Billy) is soon shot dead by Garrett. As they hideout, Billy reveals that the Mexican Blackbird doesn't exist; it was just a pawn to get the gang back together and to keep riding. Doc is angered and tries to leave for home, but he is shot by one of Garrett's men and sacrifices himself to enable his friends to escape.

Billy the Kid is soon brought back into Lincoln by Garrett and is sentenced to death by hanging. He is visited by Jane Greathouse, who arranges to meet him during his daily outhouse visit, where she gives him a pistol. Billy uses the pistol to kill two guards and escapes to Old Fort Sumner. By the time he arrives, Dave has abandoned the group to make his way to Mexico, and Chavez is dying from a bullet wound. During the night Garrett finds Billy as he is unarmed. Billy asks Garrett to let him hide in Mexico and tell the authorities that he killed him. Garrett declines because he believes Billy would not be able to resist coming back to the United States (which would lead to Garrett's death for lying). Billy turns around, forcing Garrett to have to shoot him in the back, which he does not. In the morning, a fake burial is staged for Billy and Garrett's horse is seen being taken by Billy.

The film ends with the lawyer being convinced that Brushy Bill is Billy the Kid. The epilogue reveals that Dave was beheaded once he reached Mexico to discourage more outlaws from crossing the border, Garrett's book detailing his pursuit of Billy is a dismal failure and he is eventually shot and killed, and despite corroboration from several surviving friends of the outlaw, Brushy Bill Roberts was never credited as being Billy the Kid and he died shortly after. The film ends saying that whether or not Brushy Bill was Billy the Kid remains a mystery.

The real Brushy Bill Roberts did in fact go before New Mexico Gov. Thomas Mabry in 1950, but was discredited at a hearing that has been repeatedly criticized for its circus atmosphere. In the years since, historical and forensic evidence of varying degrees of credibility has emerged on both sides of the debate over the true identity of Brushy Bill Roberts. Could he possibly in fact have been Billy the Kid? The issue has never been conclusively decided, although the majority of academic historians now tend to discount Robert's claims. However, the debate will probably continue for a long time to come, as no irrefutable evidence that Roberts was not the Kid has emerged, and without that some will always be willing to believe that it is at least a possibility. The Brushy Bill story is another fascinating mystery of the Old West era.

Cast[link]

• Emilio Estevez as William H. "Billy the Kid" Bonney
• Kiefer Sutherland as Josiah Gordon "Doc" Scurlock
• Lou Diamond Phillips as Jose Chavez y Chavez
• Christian Slater as "Arkansas" Dave Rudabaugh
• William Petersen as Pat Garrett
• Alan Ruck as Hendry William French
• R. D. Call as D.A. Rynerson
• James Coburn as John Chisum
• Balthazar Getty as Tom O'Folliard
• Jack Kehoe as Ashmun Upson
• Robert Knepper as Deputy Carlyle
• Tom Kurlander as J. W. Bell
• Viggo Mortensen as John W. Poe
• Leon Rippy as Robert "Bob" Ollinger
• Tracey Walter as Beever Smith
• Bradley Whitford as Charles Phalen
• Scott Wilson as Governor Lew Wallace
• Jenny Wright as Jane Greathouse
• John Hammil as Pendleton
• Howie Young as Poe Posse
• Mike Diamente as Brunello
• Jerry Gardner as Sheriff Kimbel

Production[link]

This section requires expansion.

• One scene was shot in Bisbee, Arizona and not in Old Tucson. During the opening a scene of a snowy street is used, the street is Brewery Gulch next to the Copper Queen Hotel. Coincidently Brewery Gulch was famous for having 100 bars along its three block length about the same time as the film takes place. Tombstone is less than a thirty minute (automobile) drive to the North of Bisbee.
• Balthazar Getty was replaced in 4 scenes by an 11 year-old lookalike due to an injury sustained from falling off of a horse.
• The scene where Arkansas Dave Rudabaugh (played by Christian Slater) puts a knife through Chavez' arm was added due to Lou Diamond Phillips' breaking his arm during filming.
• John Chisum (played by James Coburn) convinces Pat Garrett to accept a job as the new Lincoln County Sheriff. Coburn himself played Garrett in Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.
• Screenwriter-producer John Fusco appears as the "Branded Man" in the prison pit escape scene alongside Jon Bon Jovi. The cattle brand on Fusco's face reads J.C. for cattle rancher John Chisum.

Soundtrack[link]

Emilio Estevez originally approached Jon Bon Jovi to ask him for permission to include the song "Wanted Dead Or Alive" on the soundtrack.^[1] Bon Jovi didn't feel the songs lyrics were appropriate; however, he was inspired by the project and resolved to write a new song for the film that would be more in keeping with the period and setting. He quickly wrote the song "Blaze of Glory", and performed it on acoustic guitar in the New Mexico desert for Estevez and John Fusco. "Blaze of Glory" went on to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[2] Jon Bon Jovi would go on to name his debut solo album Blaze of Glory (released as Young Guns II: Blaze Of Glory in the UK),^[3] which included the eponymous single as well as other songs from and inspired by the film.

The album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200^[4] and No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart.^[5]

Jon Bon Jovi also made a cameo appearance in the film as one of the prisoners in the pit with Doc and Chavez (at the point 28:08).

The film's original score was composed by Alan Silvestri.^[3][6]

Reception[link]

Box office[link]

Young Guns II opened on August 1, 1990 in the United States in 1,770 theaters, accumulating $8,017,438 over its opening weekend. It finished third for the weekend, behind Ghost (in its fourth week) and Presumed Innocent (in its second week).^[7] The film went on to gross $44,143,410 domestically.^[8]

Critical response[link]

Young Guns II received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has received a 36% approval rating based on 14 reviews (5 positive, 9 negative).^[9] Roger Ebert, who gave Young Guns II 2 stars out of 4 stars, stated that "the screenplay feels unfinished, the direction is ambling, but the performances are interesting."^[10] Chris Hicks from Deseret News gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, stating Young Guns II was "sumptuously shot, very well-acted and full of potential."^[11]

Historical inaccuracy[link]

• The only actors to return from the original film are Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, and Lou Diamond Phillips. In reality however, neither Doc Scurlock nor Chavez y Chavez rode with Billy the Kid following the Lincoln County War. Neither Chavez nor Scurlock were ever arrested for their respective roles in the Lincoln County War. With the exception of Dave Rudabaugh, many of the gang members who did follow Billy the Kid both during and after the Lincoln County War did not appear in the film including Billy Wilson, Tom Pickett and Charlie Bowdre, the latter having been killed off in the original film.

• The relationship between the real Billy and Garrett wasn't nearly as close as is depicted in this film; the portrayal in the original Young Guns - of the men as casual acquaintances - was far more accurate. They certainly would have known each other's names and recognized one another, perhaps even saying "hello" or acknowledging one another on the street, but there is no evidence they were ever friends or partners-in-crime.

• In the movie, Doc Scurlock (played by Kiefer Sutherland) is killed the way Charlie Bowdre actually died. In real life, it was Charlie who walked in front of the door and was shot, while Scurlock survived, living in Texas until his death in 1929.

• Jose Chavez y Chavez (played by Lou Diamond Phillips) did not die during this time; he lived a long life, dying much later in 1924.

• Hendry William French played by Alan Ruck is a combination of Jim French and Henry Newton Brown, both original members of the Regulators not depicted in the original film.

• Tom O'Folliard, played by Balthazar Getty, was an original member of the Regulators not depicted in the original film. The real O'Folliard was, in fact, a very close friend of Billy the Kid for many years. The film portrays O'Folliard as being only 14 years old while Billy the Kid was 21. In reality, he was a year older than Billy.

• No one got away from the ambush by Garrett's posse at Stinking Springs. A few were injured, and Charlie Bowdre died. The Kid and his gang surrendered and were all taken to jail in Santa Fe, but Dave Rudabaugh eventually escaped and did flee to Old Mexico. Despite claims that he fled to Montana and led a "normal life", it is accepted that Rudabaugh killed two men in Mexico and was shortly thereafter beheaded. The Mexican government even took a picture of his severed head as proof that they had executed the outlaw.^[12]

• The real Billy never told a judge he could go to "Hell, Hell, Hell," after the judge sentenced him to hang by the neck until he be "dead, dead, dead." In fact, he sat quietly and, when asked if he had anything to say on his behalf, he kept his head low and answered with a simple "No."

• The lynch mob scene at the Greathouse home in White Oaks, New Mexico was changed in one important way - in real life, the Greathouse establishment was a ranch with a normal saloon, not a brothel, and Billy's gang were there visiting their friend Jim Greathouse, not Jane (who never existed). The Greathouse Ranch was also located several miles outside of White Oaks.

Other Notes[link]

• During his escape from jail, Billy shouts out "Hello, Bob" before shooting Bob Ollinger, and "Goodbye, Bob" after killing him—exactly the same dialogue that the real Billy the Kid used during the incident.

• Writer John Fusco culled much of Billy's dialogue from actual newspaper interviews and reports between 1879-1881. Prior to filming, Fusco drove Estevez across New Mexico and Arizona to visit every documented Billy the Kid site.

References[link]

External links[link]

Film portal

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Young Guns II

• Young Guns II at the Internet Movie Database
• Young Guns II at AllRovi