LogFAQs > #957184623

#16. Young Guns 121 points (won tiebreaker over Shanghai Noon)

Karo 9
Inviso 10
KBM - 15
Stifled 15
Pokewars 16
CoolCly 28
Johnbobb - 28

Very poor plot synopsis:
Before starting up a hockey team, Gordon Bombay teamed up with Jack Bauer to kill a bunch of evil wild west types in order to avenge their British stepdad.

Why it was included:
This movie really is fascinating. Popular westerns were in short supply in the 80s, except for a few from Clint Eastwood, a few comedies, and one with Danny Glover. But here you have members of what was called The Brat Pack doing a western of all things! At this point, we were used to rom-coms and other such coming of age types of flicks from them, so a western was some out of nowhere kind of shit. Naturally, such an oddity deserves a place on the list.

What Stifled thinks:
So a bunch of Hollywood up-and-comers team up for a western in a decade with very little representation in the genre. Was it any good? Actually, yes! We know a lot of these folks like Emilio Estevez and Kiefer Sutherland NOW, but they were relatively fresh faces back then. By all accounts, this was a HUGE risk to take, but it paid off! I think its quite good and feels like a slightly updated and edgier version of the style of westerns most of us are probably accustomed to. The cast has fantastic chemistry, first and foremost. Calling them pals is very appropriate because I would legitimately believe their friendships extended outside of the film if you told me so (they actually did!). Individually, they all bring a lot to their respective roles, but Emilio steals the damn show. His take on Billy the Kid is excellent, demonstrating a perfect blend of insanity and playfulness. The interesting thing too is how good his instincts are despite his penchant for murder. For example, he correctly sniffed out a traitor among them and blew his sorry ass away. In that moment, he went from being the begrudgingly accepted outsider to the group to their leader. The varying degrees to which the rest of the group respond to Billys mayhem are a fascinating dynamic to watch.

The action is damn good too! Billy straight up goes Looney Tunes on that bounty hunter looking for him yet does not recognize him. They actually fight someone taking a shit. They even have a big ass shootout with seemingly a whole army from inside a guys house! The emotional stakes become high by the end of the film because you dont want any of the pals to die. Unfortunatelywell you know. Charlie getting killed especially hurt. But Charlie also getting that cathartic kill on the guy he was once terrified of was perfect. Speaking ofEmilios characters get attached to someone named Charlie a lot, dont they?

Unfortunately, Young Guns suffers from a very big and very dumb drawback. The scene where they all get stoned and go to the spirit world was incredible fucking stupid and a waste of time. And likemaybe even sort of offensive? They were treating doing peyote and wandering around nature as a Native American ceremony. Far be it from me to tell anyone what is or isnt a proper Native custom, but I KIND OF THINK this isnt one. Cutting room floor, people. Use it, please! But whether or not you skip that junk, Young Guns is still a great watch and a good time.
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Bear Bro
The Empire of Silence