Dirty Little Billy

• Director: Stan Dragoti
• AMG Rating:
• Genre: Western
• Movie Type: Revisionist Western, Outlaw (Gunfighter) Film
• Main Cast: Michael J. Pollard
• Release Year: 1972
• Country: US
• Run Time: 108 minutes
• MPAA Rating: R

Plot

Dirty Little Billy thankfully does not try to glorify its subject. Instead, Billy the Kid (Michael J. Pollard) is depicted as the homicidal mental defective that history has proven him to be. The film recounts Billy's formative years, exploding legends and myths all along the way. The Old West is not prettied up in the least; there seems to be mud everywhere, even in the houses. Dirty Little Billy was the last production to be supervised by legendary mogul Jack L. Warner, who had severed his ties with Warner Bros. in 1972 and was releasing through onetime arch rival Columbia Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Review

This entry into the revisionist western cycle of the early 1970's is an effective, gritty character study. The script divorces itself from the myth of Billy The Kid, aiming its gaze at the reality behind the legend and focusing on the pre-history that led to him becoming the outlaw he became. Michael J. Pollard does well with the lead role, creating a sympathetic misfit whose rumpled but insightful manner carries a certain oddball charm. There is also an understated but moving performance from Lee Purcell as the prostitute he falls in love with and a flashy turn from Richard Evans as the "crazy" outlaw who reveals himself to be more of a survivor than a wild man. The script gives these performances room to breathe by creating an episodic narrative that offers enough time to develop nuances in the characterizations while still edging the story towards its inevitable conclusion. Stan Dragoti's direction has style but avoids artifice, allowing the performances and situations to carry the day while capturing the events in an appropriately gritty manner (look out for a barroom brawl that ends in a woman vs. woman knife-fight). In short, Dirty Little Billy is an effective little sleeper and worth the time for anyone who can appreciate an unsentimental take on the western genre. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

Cast

Charles Aidman - Ben Antrim; Craig Bovia - Buffalo Hunter; Gary Busey - Basil Crabtree; Severn Darden - Big Jim; Josip Elic - Jawbone; Richard Evans - Goldie; Ed Lauter - Tyler; Len Lesser - Slits; Nick Nolte; Michael J. Pollard - Billy; Lee Purcell - Berle; Willard Sage - Henry; Richard Stahl - Earl Lovitt; Dick Van Patten - Harry; Scott Walker - Stormy; Mills Watson - Ed; Alex Wilson - Len; Frank Welker - Young Punk; Dran Hamilton - Catherine; Cherie Franklin - Greta Schmidt; Henry Proach - Lloyd; Ronny Graham - Charle Nile

Credit

Malcolm C. Bert - Art Director, Stan Dragoti - Director, David Wages - Editor, Sascha Burland - Composer (Music Score), Sascha Burland - Musical Direction/Supervision, Ralph A. Woolsey - Cinematographer, Stan Dragoti - Producer, Jack L. Warner - Producer, George James Hopkins - Set Designer, John David Coles - Special Effects, Ralph Ayres - Special Effects, Stan Dragoti - Screenwriter, Charles Moss - Screenwriter

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