Not " Knocking on Heaven's door!"

Based on Pat Garrett's book, this movie is about the similarity between the director Sam Peckinpah, and the infamous young outlaw known as "Billy the Kid."

Again we have a transitional time in the west and in Sam's life. Unlike the "Magnificent Seven," at this time in our historical West, former outlaws are being hired to run down rustlers and keep the peace. The Money behind them comes from the feudal Cattle barons like Chisim.

"Outlaw gunmen," were changing to "lawmen," later to turn into professional "Samurai," gunmen.

What the Cattlemen do not realize, is that by making the West safe for towns people, they are paving the way to the end of the open range which is the foundation of there wealth.

Townsmen will later crisscross the plains with barbed wire, farms, roads, civilization in general.

So what we have here is the West winding down. Our director Sam Peckinpah, is also winding down. He shows up on the sets, drunk. He is in bad shape. He wraps him self up in this despair and brings it to the screen like nobody can.

Bob Dylan famous for NOT showing up at Woodstock. Does a tremendous
soundtrack with the help of studio musicians like Roger McQuinn (Byrds).
The thing is, it was to good for the film. When Bob saw the way the film was going, he converted an old barn near the set in Durango, Mexico. He hired some local musicians from in town and redid some of the sound track. He wanted and got a more gritty, more real feel on some of the tracks. Perfect!

Now here is the paradox. the shorter version has a chopped up incomplete story, but has the most memorable scene. The directors cut tells the complete story, but has a shortened version of "Knocking on Heaven's door." The story, or the song. Go figure?

Even with the shortened song, forget the cut version, it has lost its
continuity. The studio chopped the film down to about two hours to cycle patrons faster in movie theaters. The longer directors cut is as close as you can get to Sam Peckinpah's masterpiece. (Sam's person copy has 3 more minutes than that. A discussion between Pat and his wife about him getting votes from the locals and taking money from the cattlemen. This scene is cut from, just before he gets a hair cut).

Sam follows Pat's book and uses film and music to put you in the Ol'West. At the time he was making his movie, Sam was going thru a transition. Sam has already done the fantastic "The Wild Bunch." "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," is his last real Western. Authentic story, locations, props and apparel, except for the age of the actors. Now he is dealing with the death of the "Wild," West.

This is the setting where our story takes place.