Young Guns (1988)

Featured Audience Ratings

• 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
  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 watch it for the stars as well.

• 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
  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 rather than an actual western, but I think that was obviously the intent here. It's undoubtedly got it's fun moments here like the peyote scene and the overuse of blood and insensibility when it comes to death. Somehow, this does end up feeling like some kind of bizarre prequel to Pat Garret and Billy the Kid. I never picked up on that before, but there are definitely some similarities. You've got the excellent taste in slow motion killings, character development that defies tradition and seemingly an entrance into the mind of a western outlaw. Now how can you beat a cast like Emilio Estevez as Billy, Kiefer Sutherland as doc, Lou Diamond Phillips as Chavez and a pre-drug Charlie Sheen? I guess if you threw in Zod and Jack Palance it'd be perfect. Oh wait, they are in it. The story is really easy to get into and the characters all have their goofy qualities. I think the more times I see this, the more I seem to enjoy it and and accept it for what it is. The 80s saw very few westerns, but this is the quintessential 80s western by far.

• 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
  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 genre of cinema. Face it, the best years of Westerns were in the 1960's. Since then, theres been quite a few Western films that have been good and entertaining, but it's still a lost art. With Young Guns, the genre gets an interesting new twist with the story of the legendary outlaw, Billy The Kid. The film has a great cast of actors and has terrific action. The film is a pleasant time waster. The thing thats great about Young Guns is that it's a terrific introduction to the Western genre. This was the first Western I watched, and quite enjoyed it, and still do. In fact after watching this film, I watched The Good, The and The Ugly and got a feel for what the genre was. Young Guns is great entertainment and has a good story with a good cast of some of this era's top young talented actors. The story is at times uneven, but really it was made to be pure entertainment, a film not to be taken too seriously. The fact that Jack Palance and Terrence Stamp are in the film is a great addition to a good Western, and it's very interesting to see the conflict between the two men on screen. Sure Young Guns has its faults, but this is still an amusing film to watch. Young Guns is a terrific addition to the Western genre, though not as memorable as the classics of the 60's, this film is still a good little film to watch by newcomers and aficionado alike.

• Phil H

  
  Brilliant 80's shoot em up based on the story of Billy the Kid (very loosely). the cast is the classic 'bratpack' line up and actually suits the flick perfectly. The action is tight and exciting and you do feel for the anti heroes, wanting them to survive. It looks… More
  Brilliant 80's shoot em up based on the story of Billy the Kid (very loosely). the cast is the classic 'bratpack' line up and actually suits the flick perfectly. The action is tight and exciting and you do feel for the anti heroes, wanting them to survive. It looks good, the soundtrack is true western crossed with some gun slinging rock. This was the movie that inspired the history based story with a modern rock track element eg...Wild Roses, Knights Tale etc.. great fun.

• Mike S

  
  Decent western, but nothing special. It could certainly have done without all the cheesy 80's rock music, because to me it just felt really off and out of place. The story wasn't all that great either, but at least it was entertaining enough to keep my eyelids open. What… More
  Decent western, but nothing special. It could certainly have done without all the cheesy 80's rock music, because to me it just felt really off and out of place. The story wasn't all that great either, but at least it was entertaining enough to keep my eyelids open. What really saved this movie, however, was not the entertainment value, but its cast. I doubt it'd have been worth seeing if it wasn't for good actors like Charlie Sheen and Keither Sutherland being part of it. Without them, I'd probably have given a significantly lower rating. In conclusion: not bad, just painfully mediocre.

• Film C

  
  im not a western person but this film is great its funny and emilio estrevez plays the character great so worth a watch

• Lenny M

  
  Closing out the 80's with a brat pack western, Emilioooo, Jack Baeur, LDP, great lineup.

• Alexander W

  
  The best modern cowboy western.

• danny d

  
  great flick

• Tim S

  
  EMILIO!

• Candy R

  
  Full of action and many hunky guys.

• Lafe F

  
  Young Guns was a hip western with a young hunky cast and upbeat soundtrack to appeal to the 80's teen crowd. And it worked. The story was a rockin' good time; it started with a ranch of bad boys, who are driven to become outlaws when their father-figure (Terence Stamp) is… More
  Young Guns was a hip western with a young hunky cast and upbeat soundtrack to appeal to the 80's teen crowd. And it worked. The story was a rockin' good time; it started with a ranch of bad boys, who are driven to become outlaws when their father-figure (Terence Stamp) is slain by the real bad guys. The young guns were forced to fend themselves in the wild west. Emilio Estevez played the young punk Billy the Kid, who was a crazy loose cannon. Kiefer Sutherland played Doc, a gentle romantic educated soul. Charlie Sheen was the good clean responsible leader of the group. Dermot Mulroney was a dirty unpleasant pig. Casey Siemaszko was the funny bearded cowboy dude. Lou Diamond Phillips was a cool-headed native hero. There's interesting cinematography, snappy editing, and a story which kept things moving along briskly. The ending has a nice shootout in a big house. It's a shame that all of them wouldn't survive for Young Guns II.

• Dean !

  
  A very good modern western with a fine cast and a great story. One of my fave westerns.

• xGary X

  
  Yet another interchangable and lame bratpack movie in which they swap high scholl for the old west. Cliched and trite, it's like watching an extended 80s music video. Dumb.

• Jason S

  
  I really liked this movie and it's cast of young stars. The story was good and it even had a really good sequel.

• Steve B

  
  Not a bad story, really, but it's shot like a music video -- that opening credit sequence, MY GOD!!

• Michael G

  
  I've noticed that the biggest fans of this movie love Bon Jovi and drink too much.

• Dean M

  
  Interesting and intriguing tale of the early days of Billy the Kid. Emilio Estevez did a good performance in his character role.

• Steve K

  
  It's a far better film than it has any right to be. Still haven't found Tom Cruise's cameo in it.

• James A

  
  So young, so many guns.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings