Tiffany Scott
Executive Business Manager
“The Kid” impresses audiences with powerful cinematography and exceptional acting, making for an overall great viewing experience.
The film was directed by Vincent D’Onofrio and written by Andrew Lanham. Produced by Mimran Schur Pictures, the movie was released to theaters nationwide on March 8th and features Chris Pratt as Grant Cutler, Ethan Hawke as Pat Garrett and Dane DeHaan as Billy the Kid.
In the film, 14 year old Rio kills his father in order to save his mother from a beating. However, when the brother of the father, Uncle Grant, comes looking for revenge, Rio and his older sister Sara must run away to survive. While hiding, the two encounter Billy the Kid, an outlaw celebrity who promises to help them. Unfortunately, Grant ends up finding the siblings and takes Sara away. Rio is left with Billy who promises to help him get Sara back.
The movie is the first film about Billy the Kid in decades. Billy the Kid was a real American outlaw and gunfighter who killed several men and participated in New Mexico’s Lincoln County War. The movie does well to represent the harsh lives of Westerners in the 1800s with unfiltered violence and brutality.
“The Kid” is unflinchingly brutal but offers thought provoking ruminations on the nature of violence and its repercussions. The film coaxes viewers to seeing criminal Billy the Kid as a hero while policeman Garrett is relentless and bitter. Billy the Kid is often high spirited but in a low moment, he confesses his inner misery.
Despite Rio being the main character, the best performance came from DeHaan who played Billy the Kid. He played the role perfectly with his arrogant personality and yellow teeth from too much time in hiding. Hawke also does a great job at portraying his character Garett in a frightening light.
D’Onofrio does a respectable job of bringing the film’s dangerous setting to cinematic life with the aid of a haunting score by Latham and Shelby Gaines. The only time the film struggles is when it comes to staging original action sequences and shooting scenes, but that is countered by peaceful moments in between traveling. The western landscape is painted in rich tones that contribute to the overall exceptional cinematography.
Overall, the film does an excellent job at portraying the Old West as rough and brutal. “The Kid” is not for the light-hearted, but for those looking for a pensive western film, this movie is a great watch.
“The Kid” is rated R and can be seen in theaters worldwide.
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