Young Guns is a 1988 American Western action film directed and produced by Christopher Cain and written by John Fusco. The film dramatizes the adventures of Billy the Kid during the Lincoln County War, which took place in New Mexico in 1877–78. It stars Emilio Estevez as Billy, and Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney and Casey Siemaszko as the other Lincoln County Regulators. The supporting cast features Terence Stamp, Terry O'Quinn, Brian Keith, and Jack Palance.

In 1870s Lincoln County, New Mexico, English cattleman John Tunstall hires a wayward young gunman named William “Billy the Kid” Bonney to join the "Regulators" who live and work on his ranch: Doc Scurlock, Jose Chavez y Chavez, Dick Brewer, "Dirty" Steve Stephens, and Charlie Bowdre. Tunstall tries to educate and civilize the young men in his employ, and clashes with rival rancher Lawrence Murphy, a well-connected Irishman in league with the corrupt House.

One of Murphy's hired hands, McCloskey, joins up with Tunstall, while Doc attempts to court Murphy's Chinese ward, Yen Sun. Murphy's men kill Tunstall, leading his lawyer friend Alexander McSween to arrange for the Regulators to be deputized and given warrants for the killers' arrest. Hotheaded Billy challenges Dick's authority as the group's foreman, as the Regulators attempt to take Murphy's henchmen in alive. Instead, Billy guns down several unarmed men, including McCloskey, whom he suspects of still working for Murphy. Newspapers paint the Regulators as a deadly gang headed by a larger-than-life outlaw, "Billy the Kid".

With bounty hunters seeking them all over the West and unsure where to go, Chavez leads the others on a peyote trip. One of the men on their warrants, Buckshot Roberts, tracks them down and a shootout ensues. Roberts barricades himself in an outhouse and kills Dick, and as a reaction, the rest of the Regulators shoot up the outhouse. This leads the others to go on the run, while an injured Doc goes his own way. Chavez reveals that Murphy's corruption led to the deaths of his mother and her Navajo tribe, and urges the others to abandon their need for bloodshed, but Billy takes charge as their new leader, determined to avenge Tunstall.

Doc visits Yen Sun before rejoining the gang, and they kill the corrupt Sheriff William J. Brady and his men. They meet with a furious Alex, who explains that their badges have been revoked. Though they are now wanted men, Billy insists that their actions will bring attention to Murphy's corruption. While Charlie revisits a brothel, Billy kills an arrogant bounty hunter, and the gang escapes to Mexico, where Charlie marries a local woman. Soon-to-be-sheriff Pat Garrett warns Billy that Murphy's men will make an attempt on Alex's life the following day.

At Alex's house in Lincoln, the gang is surrounded by Murphy's men and famed outlaw John Kinney. Realizing that they were lured into a trap, the Regulators survive an entire day's shootout. U.S. Army troops on the Houses take arrive, as does Murphy himself with Yen, who runs inside and is reunited with Doc. Murphy orders the soldiers to set fire to the house, while Alex's wife leaves unharmed and Chavez slips away. Trapped in the burning attic, the gang throws Alex's possessions out of the window, including a trunk with Billy inside, allowing him to surprise their attackers.

In the chaos, Chavez returns with their rescued horses, and Charlie and Kinney shoot each other dead. Doc and Yen ride away, and Steve gets a wounded Chavez onto the remaining horse to ride away at the cost of being gunned down himself. Alex is gunned down by a Gatling gun, and Billy escapes after shooting Murphy between the eyes. An epilogue from Doc reveals that Chavez took work at a farm in California, Doc moved east and married Yen Sun, Alex's widow became one of the most prominent cattlewomen of all time, and Murphy's ring of corruption collapsed. Billy continued to ride until he was killed by Garrett and buried next to Charlie at Fort Sumner, where someone later carved the epitaph: "PALS". 

 Emilio Estevez as William H. "Billy the Kid" Bonney, a renegade outlaw who leads the Regulators.

    Kiefer Sutherland as Josiah Gordon "Doc" Scurlock, Billy's right hand in the Regulators.

    Lou Diamond Phillips as Jose Chavez y Chavez, a Mestizo member of the Regulators.

    Charlie Sheen as Richard "Dick" Brewer, Tunstall's foreman, the founder and original leader of the Regulators.

    Dermot Mulroney as "Dirty" Steve Stephens, member of the Regulators

    Casey Siemaszko as Charlie Bowdre, member of the Regulators,

    Terence Stamp as John Tunstall, an English rancher who employed the ranch hands who turned Regulators upon his death.

    Jack Palance as Lawrence Murphy, an Irish rancher connected to the House,

    Terry O'Quinn as Alexander McSween, a lawyer who opposed the House and deputized the Regulators.

    Sharon Thomas as Susan McSween, Alex's wife.

    Alice Carter as Yen Sun, a Chinese emigrant and Murphy's mistress who caught Doc's eye.

    Geoffrey Blake as J. McCloskey, one of Murphy's henchmen posing as one of Tunstall's ranch hands.

    Brian Keith as Buckshot Roberts, a seasoned bounty hunter hired by Murphy to eliminate the Regulators

 Patrick Wayne as Pat Garrett, a lawman who was once allied with the Regulators.

Danny Kamin as Sheriff William J. Brady; the corrupt Sheriff of Lincoln County on Murphy's payroll, 

Lisa Banes as Mallory,

Pat Finn-Lee as Janey, 

Allen Keller as John Kinney, 

Victor Izay as Judge John B. Wilson, 

Craig Erickson as George Peppin, 

Jeremy Lepard as James Dolan

Gary Kanin as Nathan Dudley.

Tom Cruise briefly appears in a nonspeaking cameo role as one of Murphy's henchmen that is shot and killed by Charlie during the climatic shootout.

 Country musician Randy Travis has a cameo as a Gatling gunner.