The Outlaw

Set in Lincoln, New Mexico, this Western centers on the arrival of Doc Holliday, who has tracked his stolen horse to the young outlaw Billy the Kid. Doc's old friend Pat Garrett, newly appointed sheriff, is less than pleased when Doc and Billy strike up an unexpected friendship rather than settling the matter with violence. That bond strains Doc's loyalty to Pat and pushes the two former friends toward opposite sides. When Pat wounds Billy, Doc hides him at the home of his companion Rio, setting up a chase across the territory as the sheriff and his men close in.

Howard Hughes directed and produced the film, working from a screenplay by Jules Furthman. It was made by RKO Radio Pictures and Howard Hughes Productions at a reported cost of about 3 million dollars, and it took in roughly 5 million dollars worldwide. Jack Buetel plays Billy the Kid, Jane Russell appears as Rio McDonald, Thomas Mitchell is Pat Garrett and Walter Huston is Doc Holliday, with a credited cast of two dozen performers. The film runs 116 minutes and sits among Hughes's earlier directing credits.

On IMDb the film holds a rating of 5.4 from around 5,400 votes, and on TMDB it also stands at 5.4, from about 111 votes. A critics' rating of 5.6 comes from 14 reviews, placing it slightly above the audience scores.