Young Guns II

In the year 1950, esteemed attorney Charles Phalen (Charles Phalen) receives an unexpected visit from elderly "Brushy Bill" Roberts, who claims a long-promised pardon from the governor of the New Mexico Territory. Brushy Bill's assertion that he is, in fact, William H. Bonney - better known as Billy The Kid - has been met with skepticism, prompting Phalen to ask for tangible proof. This sparks Brushy Bill's recounting of his tale, which began in 1879 when Billy formed a new gang with "Arkansas" Dave Rudabaugh and Pat Garrett.

As the legendary outlaw navigates the treacherous landscape of post-Lincoln County War New Mexico, Governor Lew Wallace issues warrants for everyone involved. Doc Scurlock, Billy's former confidant turned schoolteacher in New York, finds himself imprisoned alongside fellow Regulator Jose Chavez y Chavez and their erstwhile foes.

Now a most wanted man in the territory, Billy seeks out Governor Wallace, only to discover he has been duped into being arrested without any chance of testifying. He escapes, reuniting with Dave and Garrett, who pose as a lynch mob to free Doc and Chavez, thereby convincing them to join their escapades along the "Mexican Blackbird" trail to Mexico.

Desperate for reinforcements, Billy's gang accepts the services of farmer Hendry William French and teenage Yankee Tom O'Folliard. Meanwhile, Garrett decides to remain behind, opting instead to open a boarding house. Billy demands compensation from his former ally John Chisum, leaving two of the cattle baron's men dead in the process.

Enraged by Billy's actions, Chisum joins forces with Wallace, offering Garrett a deal: become Lincoln County sheriff and hunt down Bonney for a $1000 reward. Garrett forms a posse and recruits a journalist to document their pursuit. Billy leaves a taunting message for Garrett, prompting Rudabaugh to attempt to desecrate an Apache burial ground, only to engage in a knife fight with Chavez.

As Billy's gang reaches the town of White Oaks, they spend the night at Jane Greathouse's bordello, where memories of past escapades come flooding back. However, their stay is short-lived, as a lynch mob gathers outside and Deputy Carlyle offers them leniency in exchange for handing over Chavez. Billy sees an opportunity to outwit the townsfolk, dressing Carlyle up as Chavez before pushing him outside, where he meets his untimely demise at the hands of the mob.

Garrett tracks down the gang to the bordello, burning it down in the process. In a final act of defiance, Jane strips naked to shame the townsfolk and rides away into the night.

As Garrett's posse closes in on them, Tom's tragic demise serves as a poignant reminder that the Mexican Blackbird's true purpose was to maintain the gang's cohesion. Doc, determined to escape the impending doom, makes a valiant attempt to flee, only to be brutally shot down by one of Garrett's men. In a selfless act, he sacrifices his life to ensure his friends' freedom, leaving Billy captured and Chavez gravely wounded.

The authorities subsequently sentence Billy to death, but before his execution, Jane pays him a visit, bestowing upon him a pistol that will eventually prove instrumental in his daring escape from Lincoln's outhouse. With the two guards dispatched, Billy makes a break for Fort Sumner, reuniting with his gang along the way.

However, their reunion is short-lived, as Dave has fled to Mexico and Chavez succumbs to his wounds, opting to meet his fate alone. That fateful night, an unarmed Billy confronts Garrett, pleading to be allowed to flee to Mexico under the condition that he informs the authorities of his own demise. Unfazed, Garrett refuses, preparing to take Billy's life in a treacherous ambush.

The next morning, Billy's apparent burial is held, but Garrett's horse is mysteriously whisked away by an unseen figure, hinting at a larger conspiracy. In 1950, Brushy Bill recounts his tale, convincing Phalen that he indeed was the legendary Billy the Kid. A poignant epilogue reveals Dave's gruesome fate in Mexico – serving as a dire warning to outlaws everywhere – while Garrett's book met with commercial failure, ultimately resulting in his untimely demise in 1908.

As Brushy Bill meets with the governor of New Mexico, despite corroboration from surviving friends of the Kid, he is discredited and passes away mere weeks later, leaving the world to ponder the enduring enigma surrounding Billy's true identity.