The Left Handed Gun

Mannered, eccentric. Maybe it would have been better with its original Billy the Kid, James Dean. As it is, it just seems like a bad western made by a second-rate French New Wave director.

It started out well enough but steadily declines in historical accuracy and viewer interest. There's no telling why the writer chose to stray so far from the actual events, but it ruins the film. It's not one of Newman's best acting performances either.

Um de nós morrerá estreava há 65 anos em New York. Vi e revi com os comentários em áudio do Arthur Penn, é um bom início de carreira, mas não brilha como nos seus filmes seguintes. Box Versátil A Arte de Arthur Penn.

This might have been a better movie with James Dean in the lead, but Paul Newman as the anti-hero only makes for a watchable average film.

Weird weird movie. Surreal. Lots of stuff doesn't make sense.

Existential angst in a western setting leads to mixed results. Some of the images are strong, but Newman's performance is average, swinging to-and-fro from emotions with a James Dean-like zeal, without having the overarching pathos to back it up.

Almost everyone criticizes Newman's Brando/Dean imitation as Billy the Kid but I liked the randomness of his emotions. Surreal details (by Gore Vidal?) like: a young girl laughing at the sight of one of Billy's victim's boots standing empty in the street. And there are the overarching themes of 1) celebrity status applied to an abused tormented killer and 2) whether we should feel pity or apply the death penalty for Billy.

Newman is intense. Morally conflicted, torn between the desire for vengeance and the futility of violence. Like "The Assassination of Jesse James", it also touches on the myth-making of the old west, and how the romantic image of the outlaw is at odds with the reality. The cinematography is great, with some truly striking imagery (the planning of the killing on the steamed-up window, the gang shooting the moon's reflection, Newman "hanging" himself). Under-rated and ahead of its time.

newman portrays billy the kid as a morally grey hero even though he really wasn't much of a hero in any way. i can't blame hollywood for making him a good guy, because a bad guy wouldn't had made much money in the 50's. it's not bad, but i've seen better.

This film has another great performance by Paul Newman. It is not the best western but there are plenty of good moments. Watch for a very young James Best.

Refashions Billy the Kid as an anguished American teen (Paul Newman, channeling James Dean gives an erratic performance). Arthur Penn's debut has its moments (like seeing Bonney plot out a hit on a foggy window) but is too studiously eccentric to bear the weight of its themes.

Considering cast and director, I wanna like this more than I do