Requiem for Billy the Kid

Filmmaker Anne Feinsilber takes a novel approach in this French-financed documentary covering famed Western outlaw Billy the Kid's brutal life and controversial death: instead of staging and shooting dramatic recreations with her own actors, Feinsilber intercuts clips from Sam Peckinpah's fanciful 1973 opus, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid with footage of contemporary New Mexico and authentic period photographs. Requiem for Billy the Kid examines the persistent theory that lawman Garrett, who reportedly gunned down the young killer in 1881, actually let Billy escape and buried another man in a grave marked with the Kid's name (i.e., William Bonney). Inasmuch as the Peckinpah film was roundly criticized for its historical liberties and misrepresentation of the main characters, Feinsilber's quest to discover whether Billy the Kid in fact lived to a ripe old age is an interesting one. Granted, the documentary doesn't entirely work—some parts are compelling while others are silly and unconvincing—but it's a fascinating effort nonetheless that will likely find favor with Wild West history buffs. Recommended, overall. Aud: C, P. (E. Hulse)