Holy Moses! Has it really been 35 years since Young Guns rode with guns ablazing into theaters? You better believe it, pardner, and Lionsgate plan to celebrate the occasion with a timed 35th-anniversary release of the modern Western on a SteelBook in National 4K Ultra HD (+ Blu-ray + Digital), plus a Best Buy exclusive release on December 5th. This is the first time the film will be available in 4K with a brand-new transfer featuring Dolby Vision HDR. A new Dolby Atmos audio mix and the original 2.0 stereo theatrical mix will be included. This is also the first time the film will be on digital and Blu-ray.
Here’s the official synopsis for Youg Guns via Lionsgate:
The year is 1878, Lincoln County. John Tunstall, a British ranch owner, hires six rebellious boys as “regulators” to protect his ranch against the ruthless Santa Fe Ring. When Tunstall is killed in an ambush, the Regulators, led by the wild-tempered Bill the Kid (Emilio Estevez), declare war on the Ring. As their vendetta turns into a bloody rampage, they are branded outlaws, becoming the objects of the largest manhunt in Western history.
Presented as a retelling of the adventures of Billy the Kid during the Lincoln Couty War, Young Guns features a murderers’ row of talent, including Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney, Casey Siemaszko, Terence Stamp, Jack Palance, and Terry O’Quinn.
While Young Guns received mixed reviews from audiences, many think of the film as a cult classic among Westerns and certainly one of Esteves’ most iconic roles outside The Breakfast Club, The Mighty Ducks, Maximum Overdrive, and the National Lampoon comedy Loaded Weapon 1. A sequel, Young Guns II, was released in 1990, with Fusco returning as the writer and Geoff Murphy (Dante’s Peak, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory) in the director’s chair. The sequel adds Christian Slater, William Petersen, Alan Ruck, James Coburn, and Balthazar Getty to the cast. Set in 1881, a cattle baron named John Chisum pays a bounty to Patrick Floyd Garrett to kill Esteves’ Billy the Kid.
While Young Guns doesn’t rank among films like High Noon, A Fistful of Dollars, True Grit, The Wild Bunch, Once Upon a Time in the West, Unforgiven, and The Searchers as one of the greatest movies of the genre, Cain’s film continues to be beloved by fans, with double features happening at theaters across the United States more often than you’d think.
Are you excited for the 35th-anniversary 4K Ultra HD release of Young Guns? What are some of your favorite Westerns? Let us know in the comments section below!