with two classic western under his belt ( ride the high country and the wild bunch ) and a reputation for be a rebellious non conformist you would think sam peckinpah the ideal person to relate the story of the teen prodigy outlaw and billy the kid . you would be wrong . from start to finish this western be an aimless mess . scene be poorly pace and disjoint . it look like it be edit on a beach . kris kristofferson be clearly too old and limited for billy . a garrett and james coburn fare much well with a stylish and graceful performance that exude a cool confidence despite be in conflict with himself . bob dylan supply some fine music but his performance be an embarrassment . in minor roll some of the great old guard ( slim pickens and katy jurado and chill will and jack elam and r g armstrong ) steal every scene they be in . there the requisite slow mo blood spatter scene of violence and in one scene chickens replace scorpion ( without the symbolism ) in a gruesome moment of male bonding but peckinpah for the most part allow dylan score to set the pace in scene and render them sluggish and mawkish . at this point in his career it be clear peckinpah have nothing left . pat garrett and billy the kid be a testament to how far and fast he have fall .