Just perfect...

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Quite a fun movie - rather silly in the tradition of "Bringing Up Baby", but a delightful gem for people who have a sense of humor. This movie is less about action and more about gunmen playing a constant mental game of wits trying to fool and outsmart each other. Fastest hands or not, you quickly see that it's Billy's wits that keep him alive, and Jack Buetel does a fantastic job of portraying a Billy the Kid that-could-have-been. It's also a buddy movie with friendship and camaraderie: the central conflict comes about when Doc Holiday takes to Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett feels cast aside, and it's interesting to watch the changing dynamics and friendship and respect even among those trying to kill each other.

Here we have a movie about Jane Russell's breasts. Well, there is some sort of plot about some Western gunslingers and the sheriff who chases them. But really the only reason the movie exists is to show off Russell's cleavage. She certainly looks great and director Howard Hughes is more than happy to let the camera linger on her fine female form. But breasts can only take a movie so far. It's not worth sitting through 2 hours of absolute dreck to sneak a few peeks of a babe in a low-cut blouse.The story in this movie never grabs your interest, it's a dull movie pretty much beginning to end. Matters are not helped by some truly wretched acting. Jack Buetel, playing famed outlaw Billy the Kid, is just terrible. He's stiff, unnatural and has all the personality of a block of wood. Meanwhile Russell has little to offer besides her ample bosom. She may have gone on to a respectable acting career but here, in the movie which made her a star, it is safe to say she had not yet honed her craft. The movie relies on there being some kind of spark between Russell's character, Rio, and Billy the Kid. Sadly two rather inept performances mean there is no spark at all. That relationship falls flat, the whole movie follows suit. Reliable Hollywood veterans Walter Huston, playing Doc Holliday, and Thomas Mitchell who plays Sheriff Pat Garrett come off better than Buetel and Russell. But even they can't really make much of what is a rather lousy script. The movie takes real-life characters and tosses them into a completely made-up story. You'd think if you were going to make up a story you would at least make up an interesting one. No such luck. The movie is a real snoozer. Anytime there threatens to be even a little bit of heat between Rio and Billy censorship standards of the 1940s dictate an awkward cut away before we actually see anything. The story and the acting are laughable throughout which means the absurdly cartoonish score fits right in. Hard to take anything seriously with that absurd music blaring the whole time. It all leads up to a conclusion which is just impossibly bad, by this point you're definitely laughing at the movie, not with it. Howard Hughes fought so hard to be able to show the world Jane Russell's breasts. Unfortunately those breasts did not have a movie to support them.

Jack Buetel (September 5, 1915 – June 27, 1989) was an American film and television actor.Born in Dallas, Texas, Buetel moved to Los Angeles, California in the late 1930s with the intention of establishing a film career. Unable to find such work, he was employed as an insurance clerk when he was noticed by an agent who was impressed by his looks.Introduced to Howard Hughes, who was about to begin filming The Outlaw, Buetel was signed to play the lead role as Billy the Kid, with the previously signed David Bacon being dropped from the film. Hughes also signed another newcomer, Jane Russell, for the female lead, and realizing the inexperience of his two stars, also signed veteran actors Thomas Mitchell and Walter Huston.Buetel was signed to a standard seven-year contract at $150 per week and was assured by Hughes that he would become a major star. Filmed in late 1940 and early 1941, The Outlaw officially premiered in 1943 but was not widely seen until 1946. It was notable for suggesting the act of sexual intercourse, uncommon in mainstream movies of the era, and for allowing characters to "sin on film", without a suitable punishment also being depicted, in violation of the Production Code. Much of the publicity surrounding the release of the film focused on Jane Russell, and she established a solid film career, despite critics giving her performance in The Outlaw poor reviews.Buetel's performance was also highly criticised, and he languished with Hughes refusing to allow him to work. The director Howard Hawks tried to secure his services for the film Red River (1948), but after Hughes refused to allow Buetel to take part, Montgomery Clift was chosen and Clift went on to an active film career.In 1951 Buetel appeared in Best of the Badmen, his first film appearance in eleven years. Over the next few years he appeared in five more films, and made infrequent appearances on television. In 1956, he landed the role of 41-year-old Jeff Taggert in Edgar Buchanan's syndication western series, Judge Roy Bean. Others who appeared regularly in the 39-episode series, set in Langtry, Texas, were Jackie Loughery, X Brands, Tristram Coffin, Glenn Strange, and Lash La Rue. Buetel's last acting role was in a 1961 episode of Wagon Train. He also appeared as himself in the 1982 Night of 100 Stars television special.He died in Portland, Oregon, and was buried at Portland Memorial Park.The first time I saw this movie was in 1950 in a local cinema in Barcelona,(​​double session). in those days was something daring for a film the scenes between Jack Russell and Jean Beutel, although personally I was impressed mainly by the beauty of Jane Russell. I love the way the plot of the film, especially by the end of the story, unlike some other versions as to the truth of whether it was who killed Pat Garrett Billy the Kid. I prefer this ending for me was a surprise. It was a pity that Howard Hughes thus ruin the career of a good actor like Jack Beutel, but it also happened with other very good players, which ended up being ignored and forgotten. back to the movie I liked a lot. photography is excellent, the normal dialogs, the correct interpretation, since the lack of a good director and best screenplay had yielded better results. definitely a good movie.

Stories of the old West abound and Hollywood is no stranger to putting them onto the silver screen. However, tinsel town is not very careful when it comes to historical accuracy. Take this film for instance, the original script was written by Jules Furthman, for a special project directed by none other than Howard Hughes. The movie is called " The Outlaw " and is supposedly one of a few the late Hughes touted as his best. However, playing fast and loose with history is sure to cause historians to scratch their heads. In this fanciful tale, audiences are treated to a make believe story wherein we have two western legends 'Billy the Kid' aka, William Bonny (Jack Beutel) and 'Doc Holiday' aka, John Henry Holiday (Walter Huston) arriving in Lincoln, New Mexico and becoming fast friends. Unlikely as that is, we are also treated to Sheriff Pat Garrett (Thomas Mitchell) who comes to dislike both men. Not because they are outlaws, but because they form a closer bond which many suggest boarders on the suspicious. Jane Russell is the Buxom bombshell Rio McDonald, who was the surprising sex-sensation and X-rated Eye-candy of the 1940s. The actors are likable enough and carry the fictional story along to it's rather slow, almost torturous ending. The motion picture has its ardent proponents, which equal it's cinematic detractors. However, the special reason why this film is sought after is due to its depiction of Jan Russell in a 'super' bra (Which she never wore). Indeed, I watched the movie with anticipation and realized in the year 2010 we have a whole plethora of "Full-Figure' want-to-be's who've revealed more than Russell ever did. I believe that were it not for the trashing of western myths, this movie might rank as a Classic, but as it is, many would warn its director to stick to airplanes. ****