Lionsgate is bringing back the western, through the unbelievable story of legendary outlaw, Billy the kid. Dane DeHaan portrays the baddest outlaw in the west of the big screen. The Lionsgate film, The Kid, follows a young boy and his sister as they escape the abuse of their father only to run face to face into the bad man himself, Billy the Kid. The young boy instantly has an instant bond with the outlaw as he is recovering from a deep secret that he is embarrassed by in the fact of how his father really died, but when his sister is abducted by their uncle and forced into a life of prostitution, can the young boy with the help of his outlaw role model, muster up the courage to save him, or will he have to go at it alone by way of another familiar face, that of the Sheriff who is out to capture and bring down, Billy the Kid.
At an hour forty minute runtime, The Kid stars “The Amazing Spider-man 2” actor, Dane DeHaan as the bad boy of the west as he accurately portrays that of a similar role of a misunderstood man who ends up not really being a perfect role model for young Rio, who ultimately only seeks to save his sister. One can definitely see a similar acting talent of DeHaan as he uses the same acting skills set forth in his previous endeavors only this time he is using his interactions with that of a 15 year old boy.
The kid, Rio, stars Jake Schur in his debut acting role and overall he did an exceptional job especially having no previous acting skills. Schur managed to captivate the audience from the very first scene where he used self defense to ultimately save him and his sister all the way through to the end when he would be faced with a similar fate as his outlaw hero.
Other actors include Chris Pratt, who can also prove himself as being the bad guy in a very bad way, although he ultimately doesn’t have a lot of screen time, what viewing he does get, makes the audience want to hate him. His expressions and wit causes even devote Pratt fans by the end of the film to say, “Why is he allowed to do that?” though it’s actually meant as a compliment in the long run.
Also Ethan Hawke excels as a hero in the long run, though one might question in the beginning, how a friend of Billy the Kid could grow to hate him so much. That being said, Hawke as always is a joy to watch on the big screen as his chemistry with his fellow actors proves that he indeed knows his stuff.
Directed by Jurassic World star, Vincent D’Onofrio, one might say the film allows viewers to see just how self absorbed the legendary bad boy of the west truly is, though one might wonder if the young boy who ultimately seems to be falling in the Kid’s footstep, if he is truly also based on real life or simply a clever story meant to make people wonder.
That being said, The Kid came out in theaters March 8 and is currently showing in limited screenings near you. See it for ones self and discover the kid behind the kid.