Young Guns

Young Guns (1988)

  • 40% of critics liked it
    (25 reviews)

  • 75% of users liked it
    (60,976 ratings)

In this Western based loosely on actual events and people, Emilio Estevez stars as William H. Bonney (aka Billy the Kid). Sought for a petty crime in Lincoln County, Billy is taken in by John Tunstall (Terence Stamp), a British ranch owner seeking to make it in the cattle business. Tunstall employs… More

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R,
Directed By
Genres
Western, Action & Adventure
In Theaters
Aug 12, 1988 Wide
Artisan Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    Christopher Cain directed this western from a script by John Fusco, and on the whole seems much more comfortable with the scroungy and scatological dialogue than he does with the action sequences.

  • , Time Out

    Little more than a flawed romp, but energetic and enjoyable, with sterling performances from Sutherland and Estevez.

  • Janet Maslin, New York Times

    Young Guns is best watched in the playful, none-too-serious spirit in which it was made.

  • Hal Hinson, Washington Post

    They behave as if our adoration were their birthright.

  • Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

    OK rehash of Old West villains, this time teaming them up in their early days.

Read all 11 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Anthony L


    Young Guns was the kick-start that the Western genres needed but looking at it now it's more dated than some of the westerns made in the 70's. It's a brat-pack classic though, a pure product of the 80's, Cowboys and electric guitars, a cast of die for and more… More

  • EightThirty .


    20/06/2012 (DVD)

  • AJ V


    Although the stars are nice to look at, the story, characters, and plot aren't all that interesting. It's the typical western, and I really don't care for westerns anyway. The action was probably the best part. Overall, it's okay, but I bet other people just… More

  • Conner R


    I'll admit that Young Guns isn't all that great of a movie, but sometimes it's just nice to hear six reasons why the west was wild. It's basically an 80s movie set in the west with a cast of teen idols playing outlaws. In many ways it feels like a brat pack movie… More

  • Jeff "


    By the Mid 70's, it seemed that the Western genre was suffering. The great epics that Sergio Leone had conjured up had come and gone, and it all seemed that the Western was obsolete. With Young Guns, director Christopher Cain gives a much needed transfusion to a somewhat dying… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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