In a recent review I stated that whenever I encounter a film made in the 1970s in one of the streaming services I frequently use, I try to watch it and discuss it.  My only reason for this thought is that I feel like I have not done enough to cover that decade.  I have similar inclinations about Westerns in general.  While there are some aspects of movies from the 1970s that are particular to those years, cinematic tales of the Old West are far more formulaic.  That makes them predictable, which means I tend to avoid them.  Because they are also loosely historical, I often wish they would show a more complete picture of the past.  What I am getting at is that there is not enough Christianity in them, though modern examples try a little more.  Otherwise, they are tales of lawlessness with legendary gunslingers.  One of these is James Butler Wild Bill (1995) Hickok (Jeff Bridges), the real-life inspiration for many of the stereotypes we have about this subculture.

Because we know that Wild Bill (henceforth just Bill) existed in the seemingly aptly named Wild West, it should not be surprising that the first time we see him is in a coffin.  The rest is told via voiceover by one of the attendees, a friend of a few years named Charley Prince (John Hurt).  It is his job to tell us about Bill’s life, and the method by which he goes about this task is a little frustrating through the initial fifteen minutes or so.  If the goal is simply to establish that Bill led a violent life, then mission accomplished.  It is not until after he has stopped being a United States Marshal and left the employ of William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody (Keith Carradine) and the Wild West show, that Bill and Charley meet.  The Bill that Charley encounters is a changed man from the adventures we witness through the first quarter of the movie.  Having recently been diagnosed with glaucoma, the fact that Bill is going blind has him pursuing a life of dissipation.  Still, he can see good enough to meet any challenger, such as when he is called out by Will Plummer (Bruce Dern).  Will has a vendetta against Bill for the death of Will’s brother and for making the aggrieved crippled.  To make it a fairer fight, Bill allows himself to be tied to a chair for their shoot out.  Charley is on hand to witness another of Bill’s so-called triumphs, though the Englishman wearily adds that this sort of thing happens frequently to the gunfighter.  From there, they head to the infamous town of Deadwood in the Dakota territory, which is booming on account of gold being found in the area.  There are a few people waiting for him in the fledgling city.  Of those happy to see him are his old acquaintance Moses “California Joe” Milner (James Gammon), and Bill’s occasional girlfriend Martha Jane “Calamity Jane” Cannary (Ellen Barkin).  There are plenty of others who wish him ill, principle of which is Jack McCall (David Arquette).  The young man’s back story is told in spurts, but I am going to give the whole thing here for better context.  The simplest way of putting this is that Jack blames Bill for the death of his mother, Susannah Moore (Diane Lane).  During the Civil War, Bill and Susannah had been lovers, her husband having died in the fighting.  He had promised to be with her, but service to the Union Army took him away for half a year.  When he returns, he is instead greeted by Dave Tutt (Robert Knott), the man with whom she had taken up with in Bill’s absence.  Dave had also appropriated the pocket watch that Bill had left with Susannah, using it to taunt the legendary gunslinger.  Bill kills Dave in the street, an event witnessed by Susannah and Jack, who had been a boy at the time.  The event shakes Susannah, landing her in an asylum, an experience from which she never recovers despite a visit from Bill.  When Bill and Dave meet in Deadwood, although the older man dismisses the younger one as a kid, the reason for the ire is laid out in its essentials.  The lack of concern is a front for Bill, who is increasingly feeling guilt for his numerous sins, despite his utter refusal to apologize for any of his sordid acts.  This Catholic would tell him about the need for humility, but I was not alive in 1876.  I would try to point him towards God, and he does briefly poke his head into a prayer meeting.  Instead, he goes to the Chinese section of town where he enters an opium den.  It is while he is in a drug induced stupor that we see the majority of the flashbacks I have smoothed out with my synopsis.  Meanwhile, Jack is working up the courage to do what he feels he must to Bill, and that is to murder the legendary man.  He gets encouragement from Lurline Newcomb (Christina Applegate), a prostitute.  Nonetheless, even when Dave sets up a trap where Bill gets high, the young man cannot pull the trigger.  Instead, Jack decides to hire a group of killers to help him do the deed.  They barge in on Bill as he is in the throes of passion with Calamity Jane, but they spend the rest of the night holding it over the former lawman that they have him in their power.  Daybreak comes and they still have not killed Bill, though Jack claims the murder has already been done in his heart and leaves.  Calamity Jane brings Bill two pistols and he goes to the stable where the posse is about to ride out of town and shoots them all dead, save for Jack.  Instead, Bill takes Jack back to the saloon and buys the kid a drink while the gunfighter plays cards.  As Bill and California Joe reminisce about their escapades, Jack pulls out a derringer and shoots his nemesis in the back of the head.

Because I started the synopsis with talking about Wild Bill’s fate, I think you can guess what happened at the end.  Early on in Charley’s narration, he makes the point that Bill’s demise is “fitting.”  There is a Biblical parallel to this point found in Matthew 26:52, which partially reads, “. . . all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”  Jesus says this to Peter in the Garden at Gethsemane when the Apostle and the rock upon which the Catholic Church was built is about to pull a weapon on those who came to arrest the Messiah.  Jesus chooses the path that one wishes, certainly Charley, that Bill would have more often taken.  Not only does Bill more regularly choose violence, but he refuses to be apologetic for his sins, which only leads to more enemies to kill.  Sin begets sin, and that is Biblical, too, and this is part of the reason why the Church recommends regular Confession.  Despite Bill’s reputation, he is regarded by many as a hero in his time.  Charley refers to being Bill as a “profession,” a full-time expectation up to which the legend must live.  The only thing God expects of us is worship, a sacrifice of praise.  Everything we have beyond this is a grace.  As such, beyond the numerous murders of which Bill is guilty, arguably his worst transgression is pride.  Not only does it make it difficult for him to exist as a person, but it also fuels his lack of desire to apologize.  It is what leads to his death, even if the murder is committed in a cowardly fashion.  God wants us to choose life, and being humbler is part of how we accomplish that task.

Had Wild Bill made better choices, it is difficult to imagine that there would have been a legend that had been built up around him.  The Church has equally famous people for following in God’s footsteps.  Hopefully, that sort of perspective will inform your decision to see this film, which does not have a ton of value.