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Shortly
after he disembarks at the Lincoln, New Mexico train depot, gunslinging
gambler Doc Holliday reunites with his old friend and former
partner-in-crime, Pat Garrett. When Pat, who is now the town's
sheriff, hears that the penniless Doc is searching for his horse Red,
who has been stolen, he directs his friend to the local dentist's
office. There, Doc finds Red tied up outside and confronts the
young man who comes to claim the horse. Although the youth,
William Bonney, an infamous gunslinger known as Billy the Kid, maintains
that he bought Red from a stranger, Doc insists that he stole him.
Despite their disagreement, Doc takes Billy's side when Pat tries to
arrest him for theft.
Annoyed, Pat orders Doc and the
smooth-talking, quick-fisted Billy to leave town by sundown. Doc
and Billy, however, ignore Pat's command and play cards together in the
cantina. Doc wins hand after hand from Billy and is unruffled when
his rival accuses him of cheating.
After Doc announces he is giving Red to
Billy as a gift, however, he tries to sneak the horse out of the barn,
but is caught in the act by a watchful Billy. Moments later, as
Billy is about to settle down next to Red, he is shot at by an unseen
assailant. In the darkness of the barn, Billy overpowers his
attacker, who turns out to be a beautiful woman named Rio McDonald.
While struggling to free herself, Rio condemns Billy for murdering her
brother and vows to kill him. Billy admits to shooting Rio's
brother in a fight over a woman, but insists that the match was fair and
gives Rio a passionate kiss.
The
next morning, in the cantina, Billy is approached by a stranger who
identifies himself only as an enemy of Pat. The stranger enlists
Billy's help in confronting Pat and suggests they stage a mock fight as
practice. Suddenly sensing a set-up, Billy draws his guns one
second before the stranger does and kills him. After they learn
that the stranger was actually a friend of Pat, Doc advises Billy to
flee, but Billy insists on facing the sheriff.
Maintaining that he was pushed into the
gunfight, Billy refuses to give himself up to Pat and his deputies, and
is shot by Pat. Before Pat can fire his rifle again, Doc shoots
the gun out of his hand and downs two of his deputies. As Doc and
a wounded Billy are about to leave the cantina, Pat angrily declares his
friendship with Doc "finished."
Doc takes Billy to recuperate at Rio's
house, unaware that Rio, his girlfriend, had previously tried to kill
Billy. After Doc leaves, Rio contemplates stabbing the unconscious
Billy, but is unable to do the deed. Instead, Rio and her aunt
Guadalupe nurse Billy through fever and chills until, one month later,
he has recovered. Rio admits to Billy that she is Doc's "girl,"
but gives in to his seductive charm and kisses him.
_NRFPT_01_small.jpg) Soon after, Doc returns and learns that Rio
married Billy during one of his delirious periods but has not told him
about their new relationship. Although Doc is angered by Rio's
change of heart, he is more infuriated by Billy's continued insistence
that Red is his horse. To resolve the matter, Billy offers Doc a
choice between Red and Rio. Doc quickly picks Red over Rio, and
the two men ride off toward the desert together. When they see Pat
approaching in the distance, they deduce that Rio revealed their route
and then discover that she filled their canteens with sand.
After
a thirsty night, Doc wakes to find Billy gone and Pat at his side.
Pat arrests Doc, while Billy sneaks into Rio's house and takes her by
surprise. Later, on the trail, Doc and Pat find Rio tied between
two rocks, abandoned with no water. Confident that Billy will
return to free Rio, Doc and Pat lie in wait for him. As predicted,
Billy shows up the next morning and is apprehended.
While Doc and Billy argue about whether
Billy is in love with Rio, a hostile Indian group sends smoke signals
announcing the white men's presence. Pat, Billy and Doc jump on
their horses and head for nearby Fort Sumner, but are soon overtaken by
the Indians. Reluctantly, Pat gives Billy and Doc guns, and the
three men charge madly for the fort, chased closely by the Indians.
By dragging cacti behind them, the men create a moving dust storm, which
causes the Indians to give up their pursuit.
While the men stop at a house to rest, Pat
gives owner Pablo a note to deliver to the Fort Sumner marshal.
Overhearing Pat and Pablo's conversation, Doc is about to flee on Red
when he is stopped by Billy, who insists once more that the horse
belongs to him. Billy challenges Doc to a duel over Red and,
although Billy outdraws Doc, he is unable to shoot him. Annoyed by
Billy's sudden passivity, Doc shoots the youth's hand and then his
earlobes. Stating that Doc is the only partner he has ever had,
Billy refuses to fight back, however, and the two men finally reconcile.
Humiliated by Doc's obvious preference for Billy, Pat explodes with
anger and shoots Doc. The next morning, after a remorseful Pat and
Billy bury their friend, Pat allows Billy to leave. As he is about
to ride off, Billy invites Rio to join him, and Rio happily accepts. |
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