4K Review: “Young Guns” is still fun to watch The 35th Anniversary release does this classic justice

Young Guns was one of my favorite “modern” Westerns, a nearly anachronistic retelling of the life story of Billy the Kid, his outlaw escapades and his “deaths”.

Overall, the picture is rich, and appears to be a well-done 4K upgrade. Some wider shots are not as sharp as many of the static and closer in shots, but there’s an improved clarity through the entire film. The audio appears to be improved, although the audio in the commentary is out of sync with the picture (you can tell it’s just a hair off, with the movie audio from the version the guys were watching while doing the original commentary track).

The bonus features are good, but not special. The audio commentary track is the same that’s on the Special Edition DVD from 20 years ago, as is the Billy the Kid documentary. These do not appear to have been remastered, but it is nice they were included… maybe to give folks a reason to upgrade and feel they aren’t losing out of special features they’d had before.

The new “Making of” featurette is a delightful way to revisit the way this story and cast came together to create what’s become a cornerstone of the “new” Westerns of the 1980s and 1990s. What I found funny is that John Fusco and Christopher Cain were mentioning how this was the first Hollywood Western in about 25 years, but Silverado had come out just a few years prior, in 1985. Finding the details about the change in music was informative, and I’d had no idea Tom Cruise had an uncredited appearance in the climactic Lincoln gunfight.

I still hope that someday there will be a short special about how this movie inspired Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive”, and how that had led directly to Jon Bon Jovi creating the theme song for Young Guns II. Who knows, maybe they’ll include more on the 50th anniversary set that will eventually come out?

The fact that Emilio Estevez and Lou Diamond Phillips are still confident that there will eventually be a 3rd chapter in the Young Guns saga is a fun thing to hope for, and maybe we could eventually get a comprehensive set with a lot more features and multiple commentaries.

Watch these interviews: Emilio Estevez talks about making the ‘80s Western “Young Guns”
YOUNG GUNS 3 – Lou Diamond Phillips Interview [Movieweb Exclusive]

Either way, this is a disc set that would be a very nice addition even if you already have one of the previous home releases of Young Guns.

SPECIAL FEATURES
· Audio Commentary with actors Dermot Mulroney, Lou Diamond Phillips and Casey Siemaszko
· How the West Was Wild: Making Young Guns (NEW FEATURETTE featuring new cast/crew interviews)
· Billy the Kid: The True Story
· Teaser Trailer
· Theatrical Trailer
· Exclusive character art cards as part of the Best Buy release

Available in stores on December 5, 2023:
National 4K Ultra HD™ + Blu-ray™ + Digital (SRP: $34.99)
BEST BUY EXCLUSIVE National 4K Ultra HD™ + Blu-ray™ + Digital (SRP: $37.99)

Thank you to Lionsgate for providing the disc for this review

The year is 1878, Lincoln County. John Tunstall, a British ranch owner, hires six rebellious boys as “regulators” to protect his ranch against the ruthless Santa Fe Ring. When Tunstall is killed in an ambush, the Regulators, led by the wild-tempered Bill the Kid (Emilio Estevez), declare war on the Ring. As their vendetta turns into a bloody rampage, they are branded outlaws, becoming the objects of the largest manhunt in Western history.

CAST: Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, Casey Siemaszko
DIRECTED BY: Christopher Cain
WRITTEN BY: John Fusco