While the 1940 to 1960 have been called the Golden Age of the Western Cinema, there have also been some films that came in the decades to follow worth discussing. In the ‘70s you had films like The Hired Gun in ’71 and Bad Company from ’72. However, by the time the ‘80s arrived there were few from the genre being put out there. Perhaps a product of what was popular at the time, there were still some Westerns being made, but few captured the decade’s attention quite like 1988’s Young Guns.
A film directed by Christopher Cain (The Principal 1987, The Next Karate Kid 1994) and written by John Fusco (Thunderheart 1992, The Highwaymen 2019), Young Guns also featured an all-star cast that included well-known names such as Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, Casey Siemaszko, Terence Stamp, Terry O’Quinn, Brian Keith, and Jack Palance. Heck, even Tom Cruise makes a quick cameo as a random cowboy.
The cast aside, the story itself does a solid job of trying to stay true to the historical accuracy of the actual events of the Lincoln County War that brought Billy the Kid to national notoriety. Adding more intrigue, the film is also shot in a way that is compelling and very stylistic. That is why it comes with great excitement that just a few months after Young Guns turned 35 years old that Lionsgate is honoring it with a 4K Ultra HD release.
The first time ever that Young Guns is being offered in 4K, the new packages became available as of December 5, 2023; just in time for Christmas gift considerations. Released as either standard slipcase 2-discs edition, or SteelBook edition (exclusive to Best Buy), there is a lot to like here. While the film has made it to everything from VHS to DVD and Blu-ray, as stated, it has never been offered in such a persistent 4K format prior to this. That in mind, the 4K transfer, featuring Dolby Vision HDR, is simply stunning and immediately transports you to a grander theatrical experience. There is also a new Dolby Atmos audio mix as well the original 2.0 stereo original theatrical mix; which is a step up from prior home video audio qualities previously out there.
Additionally, and things fans will want to take note of, the extras include the new featurette How the West Was Wild: Making Young Guns, Billy the Kid: The True Story feature, plus some really cool audio commentary from Dermot Mulroney, Lou Diamond Phillips along with Casey Siemaszko. These bonuses, plus the visual and audio presentations of Young Guns make this new release extremely appealing. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Lionsgate’s 4K Ultra HD release of Young Guns 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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