Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

film by Peckinpah [1973]

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July 16, 2026

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Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a 1973 Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah. The movie demythologizes the legend of Billy the Kid, portraying him as a figure of the past. Kris Kristofferson plays Billy the Kid, and James Coburn is Pat Garrett. Bob Dylan also appears in a minor role and contributed to the film's score, including the song "Knockin' on Heaven's Door".1

Pat Garrett was a real-life U.S. lawman known for killing Billy the Kid in 1881. Garrett's life involved being a cowboy, a sheriff in New Mexico, and later a rancher and customs collector. His death in 1908 was under controversial circumstances, with suspicion of conspiracy lingering despite a self-defense claim.2

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Bob Dylan
Dylan in the 1970s
…in director Sam Peckinpah’s film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid and contributed to the sound track, including “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Writings and Drawings, an anthology of his lyrics and poetry, was published the next year. In 1974 he toured for the first time in eight years, reconvening with…
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…in director Sam Peckinpah’s film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid and contributed to the sound track, including “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Writings and Drawings, an anthology of his lyrics and poetry, was published the next year. In 1974 he toured for the first time in eight years, reconvening with…
Read More

Sam Peckinpah
Bloody Sam
In the minimalist western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Peckinpah demythologized the Billy the Kid legend. Kris Kristofferson portrayed Billy the Kid and James Coburn was Pat Garrett; Bob Dylan was cast in a minor role as a cryptic onlooker, and he contributed the score, which included…
Read More
In the minimalist western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Peckinpah demythologized the Billy the Kid legend. Kris Kristofferson portrayed Billy the Kid and James Coburn was Pat Garrett; Bob Dylan was cast in a minor role as a cryptic onlooker, and he contributed the score, which included…
Read More

Kris Kristofferson
Film career and the Highwaymen
…first notable performance was in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), in which he played the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid opposite James Coburn. He played the romantic lead in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), opposite Ellen Burstyn; The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the…
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…first notable performance was in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), in which he played the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid opposite James Coburn. He played the romantic lead in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), opposite Ellen Burstyn; The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the…
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