A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Kid (2019) -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

In a way, Vincent D'Onofrio's (his second directorial project) The Kid, not to be confused with the Chaplin film of the same name, is a family film.

It's an uber-violent, blood 'n guts extravaganza, to be sure - another retelling of the Pat Garett / Billy the Kid tale, but it's also a family affair.

There are actually two "kids" in the film - Billy, plays by Dane DeHaan, and 14 year-old Rio, played by the son of producer Jordan Schur.

There's also Leila George, daughter of director D'Onofrio.

I really had to think about this film, as I had no idea what I was getting into before viewing. Many reviewers have been unkind, but I'm not seeing it that way. It's a film about growing up - or not - of taking responsibility for one's actions, of understanding who you friends are - or aren't, and about finding one's place in the world.

Ethan Hawke plays Garrett, and there's no surprise that he's superb in the role - understated as usual.

The surprise casting nod, for me, or Chris Pratt, as the consummate bad guy,

The Kid isn't a big film, but it's big enough to work. Shot in New Mexico by Matthew Lloyd, it yields a lovely HD image, via Lionsgate's new Blu-ray. Actually, some of his work is startlingly beautiful.

It's a low-key western for fans of the genre, and it worked for me.

Image - 5

Audio - 5 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)

Pass / Fail - Pass

Recommended

RAH

 

[Robert Crawford]

I bought the 4K digital from iTunes, but haven't had a chance to watch it yet. I figured it was very violent.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I have the blu-ray but have not yet watched it. It looked like a good cast and was being made by a group of people that were fans of the genre. Most westerns now are under the radar low key affairs. They are still making them though as this is not the only western that has recently been released with recognizable faces. I was waiting to make my comments on this one, and several other westerns recently released, until I got through them all. I was in New York the last 5 days and so did not get the chance to watch anything. I did check out briefly how a 35 mm print of Ghost Dog looked projected...it was not particularly good.