Dirty Little Billy

Director: Stan Dragoti Stan Dragoti

Overview

In this film, Billy the Kid 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.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/01/2011
UPC:	0043396378506
Original Release:	1972
Rating:	R
Source:	SONY
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Michael J. Pollard	Billy Bonney
Lee Purcell	Berle
Richard Evans	Goldie
Charles Aidman	Ben Antrim
Dran Hamilton	Catherine McCarty
Willard Sage	Henry McCarty
Josip Elic	Jawbone
Mills Watson	Ed
Alex Wilson	Len
Ronnie Graham	Charlie Niles,Charle Nile
Richard Stahl	Earl Lovitt
Gary Busey	Basil Crabtree
Doug Dirken	Orville
Cherie Franklin	Greta Schmidt
Dick Van Patten	Harry
Rosary Nix	Louisiana
Scott Walker	Stormy
Craig Bovia	Buffalo Hunter
Severn Darden	Big Jim
Henry Proach	Lloyd
Len Lesser	Slits
Nick Nolte	Actor
Ed Lauter	Tyler
Jim Cummings	Young Punk
Sascha Burland	Composer

Technical Credits

Ralph Ayres	Special Effects
Stan Dragoti	Director
Jack L. Warner	Producer
John Coles	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

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.