Feels like I'm knockin' on heaven's door: Finding unexpected poignance in violence.

This week’s ‘Short Cut’ is from Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (PGABTK), and what I like to call the ‘Knocking On Heaven’s Door’ scene. This scene, and this film overall, put some humanity back into the Western. We are so used to seeing shots being fired and bodies falling dead in a heap that we have become desensitised to what we are seeing and lose some consideration for what is actually happening.

Of course, first and foremost: context. PGABTK is a 70s Western based on the classic from the 40s and 50s. It is true and respectful to its predecessor but also manages to put its own unique twist on the archetype.

Pat Garrett and William Bonnie, aka Billy The Kid, take to the road together as outlaws, but when Pat becomes sheriff, he gives the Kid until the end of the day to leave and never come back. The Kid doesn’t listen and so gets arrested, but he escapes before the noose can get him. Pat and the viewers’ journey then begins.

It has all of the characteristics of a Western: shootouts, horses, good guys, bad guys, good guys turned bad and vice-versa, and, of course, lots of dust and sun. Its twist takes its form in a trend that seemed to emerge during the 70s, a time when Westerns and rockstars came together. You can see it in films like McCabe and Mrs Miller, where Leonard Cohen composed the soundtrack. Similarly, in PGABTK, Bob Dylan not only provides the soundtrack, but he is also in the film. He’s not the only rockstar turned Hollywood star though; Kris Kristofferson plays one of the film’s leading roles: The Kid.

This adds an element of celebrity, but even more so of emotion. These men are artists. They write about love, loss and all of the powerful emotions life has to offer us, and they bring this into their performances. This is also a very important element of the scene we will be looking at. With that said, let's get to the main event.

Pat has teamed up with Sheriff Baker and his wife to round up some of the Kid’s gang to hopefully find their most wanted. This leads to a gunfight with multiple fatalities. Black Harris is the last villain to survive and he and Pat go one-to-one. So, why is this a good scene? Why does it bring a tear to my eye every time I see it? It is because it begins with the excitement of the superior Western gunfight, but ends in ineffable emotion.

The totally shift in sentiment comes about halfway through this scene and, in fact, about halfway through the entire film. Sheriff Baker is shot early on and then a second time. Knowing that this is the end for him, he calmly holds his wounded stomach and heads for the sun setting over the river. I genuinely don’t think I have ever seen a more beautifully directed or acted scene in my life.

Dylan’s infamous Knocking On Heaven’s Door slowly but peacefully invades the scene. The song itself is one that invades you and totally takes you over. The vocals are like soft waves passing over you and they blend seamlessly into every element of this scene; into the landscape, into the characters and into the very narrative itself.

The duality of this scene brings such depth and is one of many elements that make it so spectacular. Pat and Sheriff Baker are experiencing similar but different emotions. Pat has killed the Kids’ gang and, in a way, attacked and killed an old part of himself. His past and present life have truly come to a head and he is stuck in the middle.

The Sheriff’s past is also coming to a head. He is in the final moment of his present life. His past life is flashing before his eyes, coming into his presence as he sits by the river. His wife is with him, representing his future that will not come to pass. There is a lot of death and sadness here and it has been brought on by this clash of worlds.

Slim Pickens (The Sheriff) and Katy Jurado’s (his Wife) respective performances should be highly commended. In a moment of silence, without dialogue, there is such beauty and vulnerability. Sometimes just sitting and being in the moment is the most beautiful thing someone can do. How do you say goodbye to someone you love? Maybe there is nothing to be said. His wife knows him well enough to just be by him and let him be one with the river and the sunset. The West is part of who he is and this is where he is going back to. There is such melancholy, but, within that, such delicate emotion.

There is no need for dialogue here. The music provides meaning both for Garrett and Baker but the setting, the pace and the performances say everything. The looks that they exchange say more than words ever could. It is a moment of deep, unimaginable heartbreak, but also humour, and looks that only they would understand the meaning of. She is helpless but calm. There is nothing to be done and she understands that, as she understands him, but she gets that and gets him, and lets the moment be what it is.

As Pat looks on at this mournful goodbye, we can just about make out two small figures at the edge of the river as the sunsets. This scene is an expected but much appreciated emotional punch to an unsuspecting viewer. Even if you can’t stand the thought of watching a western, you would be surprised at what this film has to offer you. This brief but powerful scene is a master class in everything that cinema should be.