Wild Bill | | Cast : | Jeff Bridges, Ellen Barkin, John Hurt, Diane Lane, Keith Carradine, David Arquette, Christina Applegate, Bruce Dern | | Director : | Walter Hill | | Studio : | MGM/UA Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | December 01, 1995 | | DVD Released Date : | April 02, 2002 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 22, 2005 | | Summary | Exaggeration Not Required. | Content
 | It goes without saying that the life of Wild Bill Hickok, along with several other frontiersmen, has become legendary to the point where it becomes caricature. Therefore, it is useful and informative to read some of the early accounts of these men's exploits - told before their stories were embellished unduly. When examining the lives of Hickok, Cody, and Custer the truth is more than enough. These men really were larger than life.
This film follows what seems to be a fairly typical pattern of telling considerable factual material, and then "completing" the story with invention. That is not my preference, because as mentioned above, the truth is more than enough. However, I'm glad just to have these movies made, and the Westerns of recent years are vastly superior to the "Classics" when it comes to authenticity.
Getting some feel for the real Hickok, and then seeing Jeff Bridges in the role with the artistry of modern Hollywood to create the character, left me agape. Surely, this is Hickok come to life! The people creating the time-piece sets and historic characters of these recent movies are good! Do yourself a favor and don't take this artistry for granted.
There is one scene in this movie I would like to single out for its exceptional artistry. That is the dream-like reminiscence of Hickok, along with California Joe, meeting a party of "Dog Soldiers," i.e. Cheyenne warriors. (The word Cheyenne comes from the French chien, meaning dog). The way in which these warriors and this meeting are portrayed creates a scene of haunting, mystical power.
The tales of the American frontier are stuff of great fascination. So much so that it was realized even back then, in "real" time. It is so wonderful to see these stories told with considerable authenticity that I can't begrudge the makers a bit of license with some facts, even though it just isn't necessary.
Just keep making these films. I'm far from tired of them.
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| Rating | | | Date | June 02, 2005 | | Summary | "You don't ever touch another man's hat!" | Content
| It is uneven films like 'Wild Bill' that make me wish that Amazon allowed half stars. While it has some outstanding scenes that I would not have missed, and Jeff Bridges deliveres a five star performance in the title role, it hits too many false notes, and as a whole is far too unconvincing to merit four stars. But when it is good, it is very good, and deserves a three and one half star rating.
Jeff Bridges' portrayal of Wild Bill Hickok is simply outstanding. He delivers exactly the right mix of flamboyant swagger, no nonsense toughness, and world weariness to breath life into the legend, and is the primary reason to see this movie. The film's early scenes, where Bridges gets to recreate several pivital episodes of Hickok's legend are superb; had the movie continued in that vein, it would be a classic.
Unfortunately, 'Wild Bill' abandons both the history and legend of James Butler Hickok for the greater part of the movie in favor of its own inovations on the tale that simply fall flat. Most of the story is told in Deadwood, the boom town where Hickok was killed, and it attempts to give explanation and motivation to young Jack McCall's murder of Wild Bill. This is not only unnecessary, as the tale already had a fitting ending (an unbalanced young coward murders a legend hoping to make a name), but destoys the credibility of the film, by adding silly scenes such as McCall and a gang of hired toughs holding Bill and friends hostage in a bar previous to the murder.
The impressive cast, like the movie itself, delivers unevenly. David Arquette does a fair job as the twitchy Jack McCall. Ellen Barkin fails as Calamity Jane - her attempt at acting both rowdy tough and sweetly sexy is about as successful as mixing oil and water. John Hurt plays Charley Prince, an English gentleman who is friend to Wild Bill, and narrates much of the movie; both the charater and the narration seem out of place in the tale. Vetern character actor James Gammon plays California Joe largly through speaking loudly, and is a disappointment. Christina Applegate's role as hard bitten prostitute Lurline is both woodenly acted and utterly superflous to the story. Keith Carradine has a one scene, throw away cameo as Buffalo Bill Cody. Bruce Dern, playing Will Plummer, an angry old man in a wheel chair who calls Wild Bill out, delivers the most entertaining performance in the movie next to Bridges, providing one of the moments that make this film worth seeing despite its many flaws.
Had 'Wild Bill' stuck to the legend rather than inovating, or had it attempted to get behind the legend to the history, this could have been an outstanding movie. The scenes that did stay close to the legend were outstandingly well done, and give a hint of what this film could have been. As is, I would still recommend that you check out 'Wild Bill', but rent, rather than buy.
Theo Logos |
| Rating | | | Date | December 03, 2004 | | Summary | Elegiac Western tells the myth with style | Content
| Jeff Bridges is magnificent as the eponymous "Wild Bill", he takes the overblown legend of Bill and breathes life into the man as myth and as character, the dream like direction of Hill fits the subject spot on. If you have studied the "facts" of Bills' life, some things may jar (such as the "romance" with Calamity Jane, they hardly knew each other in reality, only meeting shortly before Bills' assassination). The film re-creates the Myth of The Wild West to perfection, dust and mud, gun play and dying, hard living and easy death seem to be the order of the day....Jeff Bridges is one of those "still" actors who are perfect for these sort of parts, getting deep under the skin of his characters. I enjoyed this film. It stayed with me for a long time, prompting me to buy a "biography" of Wild Bill to learn more. The mark of a good movie in my mind is that it lingers in your thoughts. The only niggle I had is that Ellen Barkin as Calamity Jane was just a bit too scrubbed up, she looked a bit too fragrant! Jeff Bridges though owned this character from beginning to end, a bravura performance, he never once makes a false step. Walter Hill's direction and the script do not glamorise the gun play, it is shown for what it was, sordid and cruel, an insight into the Amerika of today and why it has developed into what it is. |
| Rating | | | Date | November 24, 2004 | | Summary | Wild Bill pulls off a good western | Content
| Everyone seems to be a movie critic,and try to stay away from that,and consider myself much more of a movie/film enthusiast.If the movie sucks,I'll say it out right&point out all the major annoying flaws,if the movie is excellent...I inturn do the same and point out all the great stuff about it.
I've stated this before,and I'll say it again...good westerns are hard to come by.I don't know how acurate Wild Bill documents the final days of Bill Hitcock's life,so I'm sure alot of liberties were taken.However,this is a good western by "western film standards".Its hard to please everyone,and westerns I think are difficult to translate to the screen like Open Range,and Wyatt Erp.
Many western films tend to get too tied up into the plot,or the scenery...trying to get the audience to "soak in" the wild west.Wild Bill pretty much documents his last days/weeks,and how he might have lived them.Was he killed over a vendetta,or just because he made alot of enemies over the years?It's difficult to say.I don't think his actual life was documented very well,and you can't go by the old dime novels made back then.
I thought Wild Bill stuck to the important parts and cut out alot of nonsense.You see a gun fighter struggling with his demons,and ailing before his time(Hitcock suffered from glaucoma).He might have even dabbled with opium and chased the dragon as they say as well.
Wild Bill was very well portrayed by Jeff Bridges who managed to look a heck of alot like him.The film moves along very well,and it does'nt suffer what most other recent westerns typically do which is being extrodinarily long winded,slow&borring.This film is well worth watching,and if you like a semi biographical film with some great acting&action paced scenes,this one will satisfy any admirer of western films&history. |
| Rating | | | Date | November 12, 2004 | | Summary | Decent, but Dreary, Detailing of the Wild Bill Myth | Content
| I wasn't too overly impressed with "Wild Bill" the first time I saw it. I was expecting better from the great Walter Hill. The storytelling is a bit awkward and non-detailed, resulting in a less-than-captivating experience. Not to mention the pic comes to a screeching halt in the third act wherein Bill is held up in a saloon in Deadwood as his would-be killers consider knocking him off. This final act left a bad taste the first time I saw the film.
Yet, I recently gave the flick a second chance at the advice of a fellow Amazon reviewer, and am glad I dead -- I mean did (it must be the effect of the movie). The first half hour involves a series of insult-in-the-saloon-leads-to-gunfight type episodes; as mentioned above, not enough detail is included in these scenes to render them truly thrilling but they're enjoyable nevertheless. The second act settles down a bit, but is essentially more of the same.
Jeff Bridges is fine as Bill but, as written, the character comes off rather dismal and unlikeable. Ellen Barkin is well cast as Calamity Jane; Diane Lane is beautiful as Bill's one-and-only (past) love and David Arquette is good but annoying as Lane's vengeful son (and possible son of Bill).
"Wild Bill" offers a very unattractive and dreary Wild West. This is not necessarily bad in-and-of-itself, but the awkward storytelling prevents it from attaining greatness. Still, in this era where there are so few Westerns to enjoy, "Wild Bill" is a must for Western fans. In my opinion it's leagues better than the soporific and overrated "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," at least as far as maintaining your interest goes.
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