Wild Bill
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Movie Reviews of Wild Bill
Movie Review: Oh My Goodness. . .
Summary: 2 Stars
When a Western devolves into an outright howler it's brutal and grimacing to endure. (I have loads of respect for a gripping, well-made Western.) So I crawled all over my couch while watching WILD BILL, a contrived, cliche-ridden train wreck that literally had me blushing for the likes of many terrific actors, including Jeff Bridges (in the title role), Bruce Dern, James Gammon, and the forever-brooding Diane Lane. None of them deserved a clunker like this; here's hoping a passle of agents were promptly given their pink slips in WILD BILL's aftermath.
We're all familiar with the legend of gunman Wild Bill Hickok and his exploits from Abilene to Deadwood. But here Bridges portrays Hickok as a high-strung neurotic who goes into a tizzy when. . .someone touches his hat. (And there are several howlers as a result.) Meanwhile Ellen Barkin shatters every caricature of a drawling, slang-hurling, tough-as-nails Western tomboy (playing Hickok pal Calamity Jane), and no one, I repeat, no one, is more annoying and irritating than a sniveling David Arquette playing sissified villain Jack McCall.
And then I kept asking myself: Why is Christina Applegate even in this movie?
We're privy to several (actually, too many) grainy, black and white flashbacks that lend little to the Deadwood sequence, and the hostage non-event in the saloon is so lame I was absolutely cringing in my chair as I watched (mortified). But fear not: Wild Bill ultimately mows down the bad guys using two six-shooters that, miraculously, never run out of rounds, and Calamity gets to beat up a couple of misfits to boot, making WILD BILL the ultimate howler that it is. But comedy shouldn't be this painful.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning
Movie Review: Great performance wasted
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this film hoping for a biography of Wild Bill Hickock. The first ten minutes, which presents a short series of vignettes of his experiences, plus a few flashbacks throughout the story, was as close as I came to my wish. This muddled piece of filmmaking supposedly focuses on the last few days of Hickock's life before his shooting by Jack McCall. The only reason I gave this movie two stars is the performance by Jeff Bridges, simply the best portrayal of Hickock to date, only to be wasted. Had they used Bridges to give a life story of the best shootist of the West, they could have patted themselves on the back for a great achievement in Westerns. If you like 'quirky' or 'camp' films, by all means this is for you. But for historical enlightenment--skip it. The only other good thing I can say about this movie is the portrayal of Calamity Jane as more of a soiled dove than a Doris Day. The real Jane was a 'camp follower' and sometimes hooker. My best recomendation--if you must see it, rent it for the sake of seeing Jeff Bridges in one of his better performances.Movie Review: Wild Bill is rolling in his grave.
Summary: 2 Stars
Could be good as a stand-alone Western; excellent sets, costumes, etc., but has very little to do with Wild Bill Hickok. While Jeff Bridges makes a great Wild Bill, the story loses all credibility as soon as he steps off the stage in Deadwood and is met by Jack McCall, who announces his intentions to kill W.B., then rides off to gather a gang of hoodlems to help him accomplish the feat. Absolutely no semblence whatsoever to reality, especially in the final confrontation at the No.10 saloon. Contains scenes that have become cliche in films, such as (my favorite) when Wild Bill shoots it out with McCall's gang, firing at least thirty shots from each of his cap-n-ball six shooters without reloading. If you are interested in the real Wild Bill, I suggest you read "They Called Him Wild Bill - The Life and Times of Wild Bill Hickok" by Joseph G. Rosa - available from Amazon. If you want a well made western, this isn't bad, just keep in mind that this is FANTASY. If you are interested in Wild Bill Hickok, give this one a MAJOR pass.Movie Review: Big Jeff Bridges fan but...
Summary: 2 Stars
This was ok and Jeff Bridges did an excellent job but somehow this was missing that overall spark. A good western but a little flat. Other than Jeff's performance, nothing really stood out.Movie Review: HORRIBLE, JUNK!
Summary: 1 Stars
THIS IS A VERY INACCURATE MOVIE. JEFF BRIDGES ACTING IS GOOD AND SO ARE THE COSTUMES. THE FIRST 20 MINUTES ARE GOOD. THEN, THE MOVIE DIVES TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TOILET. AT THE END OF THE MOVIE SOME PAID ASSASINS UPON ENTERING THE SALOON TO KILL WILD BILL, FIND HIM ENGAGING IN AN ACT OF PROCREATION ON A CARD TABLE. INSTEAD OF KILLING THE FAMOUS GUNSLINGER, THEY DECIDE TO PLAY CARDS WITH HIM. THIS MAY BE THE WORST WESTERN I HAVE EVER WATCHED. INSTEAD, WATCH PALE RIDER, TOMBSTONE, THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, FIST FULL OF DOLLARS, A FEW DOLLARS MORE, HANG EM HIGH, HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, BOTH VERSIONS OF THE UNFORGIVEN, THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, ULZANNA'S RAID, THE SHOOTIST, 3:10 TO YUMA, JEREMIAH JOHNSON, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, A MAN CALLED HORSE, THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER, THE COWBOYS, CHISUM, ROOSTER COGBURN, MAVERICK WITH MEL GIBSON, WATCH ANYTHING BUT WILD BILL, THE WORST WESTERN EVER MADE.