Ditto. Haven’t seen this for years and I’m thinking about giving it a re-watch. Probably watch the special edition this time round.
When is this getting a blu-ray release??
I would say it’s fine to watch the 2005 edition providing that you have already seen Peckinpah’s 1988 version. What’s sad is that the DVD with both versions was presented in a manner such that the 2005 edition effectively displaced the 1988 version as the one to watch. I believe Seydor was quite dismayed by this and never intended for that to happen.
Well, apparently “Junior Bonner” is going to be released on blu-ray soon so you never know. Having said that if PG&BTK doesn’t contain a lovingly treated 1988 version then I’m not interested anyway. There is the potential for this to be a really deluxe release with multiple versions of the film (all four?) and extra features, but that’s pretty wishful thinking 
Well I just watched the 2005 cut, and I thought it was still great but obviously lacked the superior credit sequences, and the amazing bunkhouse scene.
But I definitely prefer the version of ‘Billy’ played at the end of the 2005 cut!
Have you ever seen “The Left Handed Gun” (1958) starring Paul Newman as Billy in Arthur Penn’s directorial debut?
Yes. I liked seeing the burning of the McSween house, but I thought the character of Billy was way, way off and I don’t care for the film. If I’m not mistaken, Gore Vidal was responsible for the teleplay on which the screenplay was based. He did a much better job the second time at bringing the historical Billy to life.
Yes the characterization was different but, apart from in a couple of places, I didn’t mind it. There’s an interesting slo-mo death scene too which is well edited/shot and prefigures Peckinpah somewhat (I think Stanton mentioned this somewhere earlier).
one of the best american westerns
Here it is:
“Keep the change, Bob.” will always be the greatest one-liner of all time.
“On your knees!”
“Kiss my ass.”
I watched both versions of Pat Garret & Billy the Kid today and yesterday. I have to say that the 1988 version is much better for me, only thing I’m really missing is the Knocking on Heaven’s Door in Slim Picken’s death scene.
1988 -10/10
2005 - 9/10
I felt like I understood more about the film now. It has some surreal nuances I didn’t get before, like Peckinpah himself in the end as a coffin maker. He is like grim reaper or just playing himself, it’s a very surreal scene. Many have said that Dylan’s Alias is unneceassary character, I see him as a kinda greek chorus, bystander who sings out the thoughts of other people.
I’ve never seen this version. Is it on DVD?
Supposed to be 2005. 
edited…
Really love this movie. Not without flaws, but the overall melancholy feeling, music and especially James Coburn (who should have gotten an Oscar, tbh) really make it work. I actually like Kristofferson, even if he’s a bit old for Billy - he’s past his glory days and his end is inevitable.
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Not sure why they didn’t just use the 88 cut and “finish” it by adding some of the music. The song was definitely present in the theatrical cut.
I think Peckinpah vacillated over it. Jerry Fielding didn’t like it. Perhaps it would have been in the TCM cut otherwise.
I gave my take earlier in this thread:
Going by the mantra of dialogue basically being icing on the cake (i.e. a great film should still be pretty good even when watched in a language one doesn’t understand), then [Jerry] Fielding makes a good point [that the scene speaks for itself]. However, the reference is more oblique with song lyrics than dialogue so perhaps it’s easier to get away with it. Personally I found it obtrusive even when Leone included just the single word “Yesterday” in OUATIA, but I remember quite liking the inclusion of the lyrics to “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” here. I think I’ll need to watch both versions back-to-back to compare. Either way, it’s one helluva great scene and I’m glad no-one actually says anything!
Regarding the theatrical version of Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, nowadays one can get the impression that this film did not get any recognition before a longer cut appeared in 1988, but that is not true. Peckinpah’s film found a lot of admirers from the beginning on. Having returned to Hardy’s Western encyclopedia, I also reread his entry about Pat Garrett, which was written before the longer cut was released, and it starts with “A masterpiece, despite being mangled” and ends with “This film is essential viewing”. I easily agree, and in between there is this quote: "Peckinpah offers what one critic has called ‘a paralysed epic’ ". Paralysed epic, that wonderfully describes the fatalistic view of the film, in which (unlike the exploding The Wild Bunch) everything implodes.