Rating: 
Summary: Just Short of the Mark
Review: There's no need to recap the plot's synopsis, therefore I'll focus the bulk of my review on the DVD itself, since this is the information I look for in Amazon reviews of items of this type.
This is the edition released by The Roan Group. The disk does fulfill its promise of a 117 minute running time, including credits. A running time of two hours is mentioned in the trailer, but I don't know that I'd call this an accurate indication of the existence of a more complete version; 117 minutes is awfully close to 120. I don't see any evidence of any of the extras mentioned in Amazon's editorial, including the letterboxing of credits, although I had no trouble reading them all on my TV set. I suspect the reviewer is referring to a different release, although I can't imagine which one.
Roan mastered this release from what must have been a very high-quality print because this disk shows very few signs of age. The sound is fine--very clear with no need of cranking (often the case on older films, in my experience). The movie is an entertaining male-bonding romp with great performances all around and Miss Russell looks fabulous. Frankly, there wasn't a boring moment in the whole film--no complaints there. Another nice touch is its keep case; I'm really annoyed with the cheesy snap cases in which so many new releases are packaged.
However, the lack of extras is very disappointing, even for a budget release. One has the option to view the trailer or tbe film by means of a barely-visible prompt, PERIOD. There's no menu, so one can't navigate the specific chapters (although they're numbered on the back cover of the case), and there are no subtitles ("Japanese?"). There's NOTHING but the movie and the trailer. At least one can fast-forward and reverse; I understand that one can't do this on some disks.
Despite this movie's being lots of fun, it rates fewer stars for being a little too bare-bones. 3.5 stars would be perfect but since I can't assign halves, I decided to err on the side of generosity based on its being a really good transfer of an entertaining film. A shame Roan couldn't go the extra mile; so little more is needed.
Rating: 
Summary: Outlandish
Review: This is a truly strange, hilarious film. Everyone should see it once. I finally got round to watching this very fuzzy, shaky, old dvd. It didn't cost much. What is the story about? Well, the way I see it, Pat Garrett is in love with Doc Holliday, but Doc Holliday is in love with Billy the Kid. Nobody loves Jane Russell, who hates Billy in the beginning, but changes her mind after a tussle in the hay, and later gets a chance to cut Billy's clothes off. Women are just fickle that way. Billy has difficulty walking, since he is made of wood, but he really loves Doc Holliday's horse. Finally Pat shoots Doc, then Billy chains Pat to a pillar and rides off with Jane Russell tight behind him. Billy has the horse, so he's happy. We never get to know what happened to Jane Russell's auntie. The dialogue is weird: it's delivered at one monotonous, unchanging pace throughout --- slow. Nevertheless, I couldn't help laughing out loud several times. The plotting is fantastic: nothing is remotely credible from beginning to end. Jane Russell has two expressions, and I don't mean the right one and the left one. It is extremely enjoyable to witness the film's absolutely total political incorrectness from start to finish. Doc and Billy smoke all the time. The women sure know their place, and as for the Indians --- well, they just get lost. For a real puzzle, try to figure out the submerged psychology which must be down there somewhere. It seems to improve when you watch it twice.
Rating:
Summary: "Don't, Billy!"
Review: This movie regularly appears on local PBS stations struggling with a cash-strapped budget. Doc Holliday (Walter Huston) is a friend of Sheriff Pat Garrett (Thomas Mitchell). When Billy the Kid (Jack Beutel) rides into town, Doc spends time schmoozing with the Kid, and Garrett gets upset. Jane Russell's 44s show up with Jane right behind them. Doc and Billy vie for her love, when they are not arguing over a strawberry roan horse. I kept waiting for a logical plot to materialize. I was still waiting when the movie ended. This film tells us of the vision of Howard Hughes. Mainly that Hughes wanted to feature the natural assets of a young Jane Russell. He succeeded, points taken. Speaking of the white hills of Arizona, there is a weak attempt to tell a gunfighter vs. gunfighter story. There is even some Western-type action. At one point, Indians on the warpath suddenly appear and then proceed to get lost in a cloud of dust. Only in Hollywood. Howard Hawks assisted with the director task, but he just told the camera guy to focus on Jane's cleavage and left the set. Wearing a low-cut top, she leans over the neck of a galloping horse, and the camera angle is full frontal. This is not Shakespeare. The movie had a notorious reputation in its day. Obviously, standards have changed. This is only slightly adult material. Be careful of the "so bad, it's good" label. Sometimes, we overuse it. There is no accounting for taste. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Offbeat but not bad
Review: This offbeat story of Billy the Kid is not the horrendous movie some people think it is. It is in fact a good but not great western that any fan of westerns should enjoy. It is better known for the tussle the studio had with the censors and Howard Hughes' preoccupation with Jane Russell's bust during the filming. Set these distractions aside and watch this enjoyable western that also features Walter Huston in a made-to-order role and excellent direction by Hawks, who knows what a western should be.
Rating: 
Summary: Get Outta Town!.......
Review: This review refers to the Classic Western DVD edition(Platinum Disc Corp) of "The Outlaw"(1943).....If you are looking for something with a good script, good dialouge, good acting or at the very least historical accuracy in a western, fahget about it. This is not the one! What you will get is some classic actors in a fun western,that is a little on the risque side for the early fourties and it might make you smile if nothing else. The film, which has trouble deciding on whether it is a comedy or a drama stars such greats as Walter Huston, Thomas Mitchell, and Jane Russell's breasts(in their breakthrough role which led to all those great Playtex bra commercials).It was directed by Howard Hawks and Howard Hughes, who apparently had a thing for Jane Russell at the time. The story involves a love triangle between Doc Holliday(Huston), Billy the Kid(a very cute Jack Buetel) and the voluptuous "Rio"(Russell).Doc has come to town to find his stolen horse, "Red" the strawberry roan(who by the way steals the show in this one),meets up with Billy, and immediatly the two form a unique friendship to the chagrin of Sherriff Pat Garrett(Mitchell).Billy gets in some trouble, and is shot by the bumbling sherriff and is taken to Rio's place by Doc to heal. Rio who already has it in for Billy for shooting her brother, seems to overcome that little problem when the Florence Nightingale effect takes over. But here's the problem....she was Doc's girl first. Who will get the girl? More importantly.. Who will get the horse? Will Garrett catch up with these outlaws? Just want to check it out for yourself? I often see it on the Turner Classics Movie Station.
If you're a die hard western fanatic, you will get a kick out of this film.This 1943 black and white film looks surprisingly good on this DVD(you will notice the film's age occassionaly). Although you'll need to crank the sound up a bit, it is clear and distinguable at all times.There are filmographies of the stars and a fun little quiz about the film(naturally I aced it!) All that's left to say is.... Aw Shucks Ma'am....Laurie
Rating:
Summary: "What, no kiss?" "Nah, he doesn't like mush."
Review: What can I say about "The Outlaw"? It's really, really silly and I really, really like it. The acting is bad, the music is worse, and the camera angles are downright hilarious. I'm not sure how much of the dialogue was intended to be funny, but I'm sure a lot of the bigger laughs were unintentional. Nevertheless, it's a goofy, friendly little movie that moves along at a brisk pace and is nothing if not entertaining. The plot? Well, you see, Pat Garrett and Doc Holliday used to be best friends, that is until Billy the Kid rode into town, and now Doc spends all his time hanging out with Billy which makes Pat pretty darn jealous. There's also Rio (played by the scantily clad Jane Russell) who used to be Doc's girl before Billy stole her, although neither Doc nor Billy care much about that. They do argue a lot about who owns Doc's horse, but otherwise they're pretty tight, riding around together, humilating Pat, and just generally having a good time. All good things must come to an end, however, and after a couple of shootouts and almost shootouts our hero(?) rides off into the sunset, proud possesor of both the horse and the girl. "The Outlaw" isn't a classic by anybody's standards (unless you count the classically silly "Gun Switching" scene), but it is fun in a weird kind of way. Gazillionare Howard Hughes tried for years to have it released while he battled the censors (unlike some other reviewers, I do think the film is pretty racy for its time) and there's still about five minutes missing. You can sometimes tell where footage was cut, such as a scene where Doc goes to hug Billy (really) and after a jump they're suddenly talking about something else. Uh huh. Anyway, check this out if you're a fan of Jane Russell or over the top cheese. If you do see it, watch for my favorite part: Billy strings up Rio and leaves her for dead, has second thoughts, and comes back to find the sheriff waiting for him. "Why didn't you tip me off?" he irritably asks the still strung-up Rio. Great stuff.
GRADE: B+
Rating:
Summary: Just Short of the Mark
Review: Why this movie isn't one of the top five gay/camp movies of all time I do not know. Jane Russell is window dressing for a barely sublimated love triangle of Pat Garrett, Doc Holiday, and Billy the Kid. Before Billy's horse is tied securely Doc invites Billy to spend the night with him in the Lincoln hotel. By then end of the movie Pat has killed Doc in a rage of jealousy over Billy. In between, Billy and Pat both pick the horse over Jane, and Billy ties her up s&m style, then cuts her down. Reviewers knock the acting here, but it's not bad considering the plot is totally surreal. Who could understand what was going on. Did Howard Hughes??? More likely, this movie is a gazillionaire's home movie fantasy. With all his work on the Spruce Goose, Mr. Hughes had little time in his life for Freud or Jung. Truely amazing and worth more than one watch.
Rating:
Summary: It's Billy, you fool
Review: Why this movie isn't one of the top five gay/camp movies of all time I do not know. Jane Russell is window dressing for a barely sublimated love triangle of Pat Garrett, Doc Holiday, and Billy the Kid. Before Billy's horse is tied securely Doc invites Billy to spend the night with him in the Lincoln hotel. By then end of the movie Pat has killed Doc in a rage of jealousy over Billy. In between, Billy and Pat both pick the horse over Jane, and Billy ties her up s&m style, then cuts her down. Reviewers knock the acting here, but it's not bad considering the plot is totally surreal. Who could understand what was going on. Did Howard Hughes??? More likely, this movie is a gazillionaire's home movie fantasy. With all his work on the Spruce Goose, Mr. Hughes had little time in his life for Freud or Jung. Truely amazing and worth more than one watch.
Rating:
Summary: Homina Homina.
Review: Yowza! That Jane Russell philly almost makes this slow piece of horse puckey worth sitting through. Almost. (You see, she's kinda hot.)
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