Requiem for Billy the Kid Review

Some countries have tales of kings and knights. America has cowboys. Wild West stories are legendary. Almost every generation alive today has a great cowboy movie in their repertoire. Baby boomers have almost two whole decades of them. Names like Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, and Jesse James evoke strong emotions. French director Anne Feinsilber chose the legend of Billy the Kid for this, her first film. Following the efforts of Tom Sullivan and Steve Sedarwall, the Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, Requiem for Billy the Kid is an homage to the past set in the present.

When the film begins, Sullivan and Sedarwall have recently discovered that a town in Texas is claiming to have the remains of the “real” Billy the Kid. Lincoln County is rich in Old West history and has been renowned as the site of Billy the Kid’s death. Not only does Billy’s life and death provide tourism dollars for the small county, it is also a great source of pride for the locals. The Sheriff wants to exhume both bodies, along with the body of Billy’s mother, for DNA testing. He is convinced this will prove, once and for all, that Lincoln County is Billy’s true resting place.

Showcasing the sweeping landscapes of New Mexico and the weathered faces of local Lincoln County folk, Requiem is truly a beautiful movie. The faces of the interviewees particularly struck me. These are men who work hard and love every minute of it. In their faces, there are deep lines, thick creases, leathery patches. They look like cowboys. The effect is charming and endearing.

In addition to interviewing local people, the director sets up a sort of faux-interview with Billy the Kid himself. Using the voice of Kris Kristofferson, she directs questions to Kristofferson as if she were talking to Billy in the present, allowing him to reflect on his life. Kristofferson played the role of Billy in Sam Peckinpah’s “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” (1973). Feinsilber interweaves clips of Kristofferson as Billy in the movie with the historical information being presented. Hearing the young Kristofferson in the movie clips and his older voice in the interview is a very creative and effective tool and sets this documentary apart from any other I’ve seen.

It’s hard to put into words how much I loved this film. Though my dad was brought up on cowboys and Indians and instilled a deep love of Westerns into my sister and me, I don’t know that I would have thought a documentary on Billy the Kid would be up my alley, so to speak. Requiem is so much more than just a documentary. Part history lesson and part cold case mystery, it is wholly captivating.

The film moves along at an extremely slow place. Those sweeping landscape shots stretch over several minutes. The music is haunting and lonely with a Western twang. It is the kind of film some might call boring. For me, however, it felt like an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It took me away to another time and place and allowed me to be swallowed up by the participants. What more could you ask for from a movie?

Immediately after the film, I phoned my father to tell him I had just seen a movie he would love. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. I felt such a connection with him while watching it, though. The legend of Billy the Kid, presented in this way, was so interesting. Perhaps for the first time, I completely understood the fascination with cowboys and the Old West.

In the last scene, after being denied his request to exhume the bodies in question, Sheriff Sullivan reveals he is on his way out of office. His term is up and he is being replaced. In a line that sums up not only his term, but also the life of Billy the Kid, he says, “I’ll be history.” Won’t we all?