In most of my reviews of Audie Murphy pictures I'll comment on how his youthful appearance worked against him, particularly in films where he's a villain or operating on the wrong side of the law. But as Billy the Kid, his real of age twenty six closely approximated that of William H. Bonney at twenty one, and on that score his casting here worked about the best I've seen in slightly more than a dozen pictures I've had a chance to watch.
I'm curious why the film makers chose to change the names of most of the principals except for Billy, Pat Garrett (Frank Wilcox) and acting New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace (Robert Barrat). William Bonney's real life mentor and employer was William Tunstall, here called Roger Jameson (Shepperd Strudwick). Jameson's business partner and attorney is Alexander Kain (Albert Dekker), whereas Tunstall's partner was Alexander McSween. Major Harper (Dennis Hoey) would have been Jimmy Dolan, and Sheriff Rand (Ray Teal) would have been Sheriff William Brady, who's murder by Billy the Kid's band of Regulators escalated the Lincoln County War, and wound up turning public sentiment against The Kid. In this story, Rand isn't killed.
For one of his first starring roles, Audie Murphy doesn't appear very charismatic, some would go so far as to say his acting here is wooden. Fair enough, though the reason he went into pictures was for film makers to capitalize on his record as a genuine hero in World War II. Probably his best regarded movie is the one telling his real life story in 1955's "To Hell and Back".
As for the picture itself, it's passable enough as an entertaining Western if the license taken with the characters doesn't bother you too much. The opening of the film states that liberty was taken with the characters and chronology of events depicted, so with that in mind, you can settle back and enjoy it, especially if you're an Audie Murphy fan.
I'm curious why the film makers chose to change the names of most of the principals except for Billy, Pat Garrett (Frank Wilcox) and acting New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace (Robert Barrat). William Bonney's real life mentor and employer was William Tunstall, here called Roger Jameson (Shepperd Strudwick). Jameson's business partner and attorney is Alexander Kain (Albert Dekker), whereas Tunstall's partner was Alexander McSween. Major Harper (Dennis Hoey) would have been Jimmy Dolan, and Sheriff Rand (Ray Teal) would have been Sheriff William Brady, who's murder by Billy the Kid's band of Regulators escalated the Lincoln County War, and wound up turning public sentiment against The Kid. In this story, Rand isn't killed.
For one of his first starring roles, Audie Murphy doesn't appear very charismatic, some would go so far as to say his acting here is wooden. Fair enough, though the reason he went into pictures was for film makers to capitalize on his record as a genuine hero in World War II. Probably his best regarded movie is the one telling his real life story in 1955's "To Hell and Back".
As for the picture itself, it's passable enough as an entertaining Western if the license taken with the characters doesn't bother you too much. The opening of the film states that liberty was taken with the characters and chronology of events depicted, so with that in mind, you can settle back and enjoy it, especially if you're an Audie Murphy fan.