As a writer and filmmaker myself, I have always appreciated low budget films, and will give most films a chance, regardless of budget or star quality.
Set in 1881, New Mexico, The Last Days of Billy the Kid should have been 70 minutes of enjoyable action, or at least dramatic storytelling. What it ended up being was the worst film I have ever watched.
As soon as the film opens I could tell something wasn't right. The camera was hand held, not to be artistic, but as if the DOP was in too much of a hurry to set up a rig, or locking off the camera on a tripod. Handheld camera work can work well in film, but not as a time-saver.
The acting from the start of the film made me feel uneasy, as if you felt anxious for the cast as they struggled to remember their lines. The delivery of each cast members lines were so wooden that it felt like they were students at a film school helping the director to block a scene before the real cast show up.
Each performance was emotionless and not one actor even used a hand gesture or pauses before expressing themselves, the lines flowed as if reading off a script that was being held by a member of the production crew behind the camera.
The sound was a huge distraction too. Sound is so important in film, and this was by far the worst I have heard. Consider this, a low hissing can be heard in a wide shot, but not the close up. Now a dog is heard in the close up, but cut to the wide it's gone, back to the close up and it's heard again. Then in most scenes the hiss is back, the hiss is the poor quality microphone that is being used, and therefore the sound recordist must have realized in post production how bad it sounded and asked the entire cast to come into a recording studio to re-record their dialog. This now spoils the entire sound of the film, because as a viewer we can tell the voices don't sound right in the environment they are in, it makes it sound like a Cowboy is delivering his lines whilst stood in a shower cubical, when in fact he is stood in the saloon.
The music for the film also does not sound right for the film, it is very keyboard like, and sounds more low budget sci-fi than a western.
The sets look like, well they look like old run down buildings that the Director has sourced and used for the film, but even then, there are no wide shots to orientate the viewer, it's all handheld framing that shows them all stood in a corner of a room or such like.
A huge gunfight takes place midway through the film, and the guns being fired sound wrong and look like a cap gun fight between 12 year old boys and girls.
I can't review any more of the film because I switched off at this point and threw the DVD in the bin where it belongs.
What makes me so angry about this film is the fact it was allowed to be distributed. I am so passionate about movies, I have a real admiration of those who give their absolute best, and don't expect all films to blow me away, but this film was an insult to not only the viewer, but to those involved.
The actors wouldn't even be able to use the footage for a show-reel to get more work in future productions, and for that they must be deeply disappointed. Whoever wrote the script must have been bored by their own voice, because the words spoken in the film don't help the actors performance at all, the sentences are jarring, and are so bland that I can't even remember a single line uttered.
A script as you all know, is what sets the tone, what makes us feel emotionally attached to the characters and their story, this script does not do that.
Whilst watching this film I was adamant that I would give it a chance and that i would make it to the end, I failed.
Is this film worth watching? Yes for sure. It's worth watching as a filmmaker, to learn of all the things not to do on your own production.
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