Directed by:
Arthur PennCinematography:
J. Peverell MarleyComposer:
Alexander CourageCast:
Paul Newman, Lita Milan, John Dehner, Hurd Hatfield, James Congdon, James Best, John Dierkes, Robert Anderson, Wally Brown, Denver Pyle, Nestor Paiva (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
33-year-old Paul Newman stars as 21-year-old William Bonney, the hotheaded gunslinger known as Billy the Kid. Avoiding the usual Hollywood glamourization of this controversial character, Newman portays Bonney pretty much as he was: an illiterate, homicidal cretin. Treated with kindness for the first time in his life by rancher Tunstall (Colin Keith-Johnston), Bonney becomes devoted to the rancher; in fact, it is virtually a love affair. Soon after, however, Tunstall is killed, prompting Bonney to go on a murderous spree. In the end, Bonney must face down the other important father-figure in his life, Pat Garrett (John Dehner). In case anyone should miss the Freudian subtext in The Left Handed Gun, the closeups of Bonney fondling his six-shooter will make things crystal clear. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Paul Newman
USA
Best movies:
Producers' Showcase (1954) (series)
The Sting (1973)
Butch Cassidy et le Kid (1969)
Lita Milan
USA
Best movies:
The Ride Back (1957)
Duel on the Mississippi (1955)
The Violent Men (1955)
John Dehner
USA
Best movies:
The Right Stuff (1983)
How the West Was Won (1976) (series)
The Man from Bitter Ridge (1955)
Hurd Hatfield
USA
Best movies:
El Cid (1961)
The Manions of America (1981) (series)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
James Congdon
Best movies:
The Left Handed Gun (1958)
When Worlds Collide (1951)
4D Man (1959)
James Best
USA
Best movies:
The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997) (TV movie)
Winchester '73 (1950)
How the West Was Won (1976) (series)
John Dierkes
USA
Best movies:
Touch of Evil (1958)
Plymouth Adventure (1952)
The Haunted Palace (1963)
Robert Anderson
USA
Best movies:
Support Your Local Sheriff! (1968)
Winchester '73 (1950)
The Money Trap (1965)
Wally Brown
USA
Best movies:
Notorious (1946)
Dodge City (1939)
The Mouse That Roared (1959)
Denver Pyle
USA
Best movies:
Maverick (1994)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997) (TV movie)
Nestor Paiva
USA
Best movies:
Bernadette (1943)
The Sea Hawk (1940)
Midnight (1939)
Lane Chandler
USA
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Laura (1944)
Norman Leavitt
USA
Best movies:
The Name of the Game (1968) (series)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Showdown (1963)
Colin Keith-Johnston
UK
Best movies:
The Paradine Case (1947)
Love Happy (1949)
The Left Handed Gun (1958)
Michael Jeffers
UK
Best movies:
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
The Young Philadelphians (1959)
Joe Bell
Best movies:
Marty (1955)
The Left Handed Gun (1958)
Terry Frost
USA
Best movies:
One Desire (1955)
Whispering Smith (1948)
The Baron of Arizona (1950)
Robert Griffin
USA
Best movies:
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
The Bravados (1958)
Eve McVeagh
USA
Best movies:
The Graduate (1967)
Airport (1970)
High Noon (1952)
Robert Foulk
USA
Best movies:
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
The Name of the Game (1968) (series)
East of Eden (1955)