There were two Great Westerns made in the early 1990's. One was Tombstone which I wasn't expecting to be Great. I mean....how many ways can The Gunfight at The OK Correl be told? So I ignored Tombstone until it came out in Video. Big mistake. Great Movie. Val Kilmer is the best Doc Holiday ever. As with Shane, it may never be in a theater near me again. So now Wild Bill comes out? Better see it in a Big Screen Theater. I did one weekend evening. Beautiful. The only problem was it was the first time I had seen a movie in Downtown Detroit. There weren't many of us in The Theater, but many who were there were carrying on with a narrative of their own. 'Look out behind you Wild Bill, he's got a gun....'someone said. 'Hump her Bill' said someone else! So...I went back one weekday afternoon and appreciated Wild Bill much more. Now I own it and watch it often. With Westerns, I don't look for 'factually correct', rather I look for Great Performances and Storytelling from people who clearly love Westerns as I do. Don't miss Wild Bill.

Wild Bill Hickock is as famous as any old west icon, his tragic end while holding the original dead man's hand as well known as any western lead spitting incident from the era. But that doesn't restrain director George Hill from this flight of fancy that takes more than its usual share of liberties presenting incidents that fall somewhere between fact and fiction. The first 15 minutes of Wild Bill crackle with action and gunfire as Hickok (Jeff Bridges) makes his way across the American West solidifying his reputation as one tough hombre. Brutal and to the point Hill moves his story from Abilene to Deadwood in no time where he reunites with trail buddy Calamity Jane (Ellen Barkin). Also seeking out Bill in Deadwood is Jack McCall, the son of a man he killed over a woman, watch, touching his hat though none of this any basis in history. A sloppy cat and mouse game ensues as McCall calls in reinforcements to deal with Hickock but this only serves to provide more cannon fodder for Bill to waste in a rousing stable shootout since like most of the incidentals in Wild Bill this does not even remotely approach the history.Bridges as Hickock carries himself with authority and confidence except in a brief foray on stage with Buffalo Bill where he comes across as wooden a cigar store promoter. Guarded to begin with Bridges taciturn responses partner well with his pearl handled six-shooters that do most of his talking. Barkin's Calamity Jane lacks consistency as she slides from frontier bullwhip expert to her schoolgirl crush with Bill. John Hurt as Bill's Boswell remains smarmily reverential while David Arquette's MaCall plays it spoiled brat most of the way.Hill playing fast and loose with the Hickok saga seems content to fill scenes with fallacy and letting lead fly. In one gun battle we have Bill getting a dozen shots out of each of his six shooters without having time to reload. In addition to padding the film with non-events Hill goes self indulgent with some black and white oblique angle flashback to add to the film's running time that begins to lose it's rhythm by the one-third mark with Hickok and MacCall having wasteful confrontations (one bizarre one in an opium den) that pile on minutes but does not advance the story as it stumbles to its historic conclusion, failing to separate the man from the legend while adding to the apocryphal in this bungled western.

Wild Bill is a terrific and underrated Western that combines wonderful direction,an amazing cast,fantastic Action and a memorable score. All of those elements make Wild Bill an entertaining Western film that is Walter Hill and Jeff Bridges at their best.Based on the novel Deadwood by Peter Dexter and the play Father's And Sons by Thomas Babe,Wild Bill tells the story of the last days of James Butler Hickok AKA Wild Bill(Jeff Bridges),the legendary lawman and gunfighter thinking about his life past and present.During the Western movie revival of the 1980s 90s there were classic Westerns such as Unforgiven(1992),Tombstone(1993)and Dances With Wolves(1990)that were critical and Box Office hits but there were also other Western films during this time that went under the radar and weren't as successful but still wonderful in their own rights such as Walter Hill's 1995 Western Wild Bill a terrific and memorable Western that was Hill's third and film about an iconic true life Western figure following Jesse James/Younger Gang film The Long Riders(1980)and the Geronimo film Geronimo:An American Legend(1993). And while Wild Bill isn't as good as those two films Wild Bill is an interesting look at a charismatic figure of his time. At a lean and tight 98 minutes Wild Bill is a memorable and entertaining film that is not really a biopic but a great mixture of Western shoot em up and character study told in a gritty way. This is the kind of movie that won't be appealing to general audiences and is the kind of film that will be liked or disliked but if you're a Western buff you will enjoy this film even though it might not be historically inaccurate. Wild Bill is a movie that is a revisionist Western in the truest sense told in very surreal and stylish giving viewers a look into one of the most iconic characters in the West in Wild Bill Hickok,a Cowboy who probably isn't known on a national level like other Western icons such as Wyatt Earp,Doc Holliday,Jesse James or Billy The Kid but if you know Western History you will know Wild Bill. The tone of the movie stylish and gritty capturing the beauty and ugliness of the Wild West in all it's glory and also gives viewers a look at the town of Deadwood in South Dakota which is violent and bizarre and serves as a precursor to the classic HBO TV series Deadwood,a show that gave viewers another look into Deadwood. When we look at the title character Wild Bill we get a brief but fascinating look into his life as a person of many things in his life such as being a lawman,gunfighter,buffalo hunter,folk hero and gambler. It's easy to see why Walter Hill wanted to make a movie about Wild Bill because like the characters in Hill's other films Wild Bill in the movie is depicted as a man who is larger than life but at the same time a flawed human being. Hickok is a man who also haunted by his demons(told in black and white drug induced dreams)and his ways of living have caught up with him(Hickok was losing his eye sight)and is over the hill but still has his bravado. Wild Bill as a character is so interesting that I would have loved to see more of his history and life story in the past and present which I think is a flaw. Another flaw is Wild Bill is that it feels less cinematic compared to Walter Hill's other movies and at times has the feel of a TV movie. The Action and gunfights in the film are thrilling and intense going along with the Western tone of the movie as Walter Hill can do. The ending in Wild Bill is amazing,dramatic and tragic and while not true to how what really happen in real life it's close enough. An outstanding ending.The cast is great. Jeff Bridges is excellent and at his best as Wild Bill Hickok,with Bridges bring gritty,tough and charismatic. Ellen Barkin is terrific as Calamity Jane,a lady friend of Hickok's. John Hurt is wonderful as Charles Prince,an English friend of Bill's. Diane Lane is sensational and beautiful as Susannah Moore,a past love of Bill's. Keith Carradine does a fine job in a small role as Buffalo Bill Cody. David Arquette is superb as Jack McCall,a man who's after Wild Bill. Christina Applegate is great as Lurline,a prostitute that befriends Jack. Bruce Dern does a good job as Will Plummer,an enemy of Wild Bill's. James Gammon is fantastic as California Joe,another friend of Wild Bill's. James Remar is amazing as Donnie Lonnigan,a gunman. Marjoe Gortner(Preacher),Stoney Jackson(Jubal Pickett),Karen Hule(Song Lue),Robert Knott(Dave Tutt),Steve Reevis(Sioux Chief),Pato Hoffman(Cheyenne Leader)and Dennis Hayden(Phil Coe)give good performances as well.The direction by Walter Hill is exceptional and stylish with Hill bringing a haunting and beautiful look to the film. Fantastic direction,Hill.The score by Van Dyke Parks is effective,beautiful and gripping,with Parks scoring matching the tone of the movie. Great score,Parks.In final word,if you love Westerns,Walter Hill or Jeff Bridges,I highly suggest you see Wild Bill,a terrific,underrated Western that is worth your time. Highly Recommended 9.5/10.

Jeff Bridges is one of my all-time favorite actors. I guess he's not only prolific, but also an actor who has gained a "Cult" following over the years. In 'Wild Bill', he plays the late legendary lawman Wild Bill Hickok, with unseen ease.As a film, 'Wild Bill' is not an interesting watch, sure it offers some captivating moments, but they are few and far between. Walter Hill has directed this story passably, but the writing is not sharp enough. Be it based on a book, as a cinematic experience, it comes out very half-baked. It had tremendous scope to hold it's viewer, but that has not been tapped in here properly.Jeff Bridges quite frankly owns 'Wild Bill'. The kind of roles Bridges has managed to pull off, make him, probably, one of the finest actors in the History of World Cinema. Bridges goes down as an actor, who should inspire a set of new-born actors in the coming time.On the whole, Watch it only for 'The Dude', who goes 'Western' in here.