The film was directed by Sam Peckinpah and written by Rudy Wurlitzer. The movie is very”artsy” and has an easy laid back feeling about it. Even the violence is “relaxed”.
The movie was filmed in Durango, Mexico and takes place after the Lincoln County War. The film portrays Billy and Pat as Pals. When Garrett gets elected Sheriff, it forces a tough decision upon him. His superiors want The Kid dead. He gives Billy a chance to escape to Mexico, but when Billy refuses to go, Garrett has no choice but to kill his friend…
The film was complemented with a soundtrack by Bob Dylan. One of the songs he performed, Knocking on Heaven’s Door became a transatlantic top 20 hit. It was his first soundtrack and rumors are that Dylan was obsessed with Billy the Kid and landed a role in the movie.
Cast included Chill Wills, Bob Dylan, Charles Smith, Slim Pickens, Jack Elam, Harry Stanton, James Coburn as Pat Garrett and Kris Kristofferson as Billy the Kid. Originally selected to cast as Billy was Al Pacino who could not get the hang of riding a horse and opted out of the film. 
At the time of filming, Kris Kristofferson was 36 years old and Garrett was 44. Both actors were over-aged for the roles. Originally in the script, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid never met on screen until the film’s end.
There was a little drama on the set, Kristofferson was always in heated arguments with Director Sam Peckinpaw. At times almost escalating into physical fights. Peckinpaw said he was afraid to fight him, because Kristofferson, being an ex-Army Airborne Ranger, would probably kill him.
Sam Peckinpaw was an alcoholic and had to start his day with vodkas to stop his shakes. By the afternoon, he would have moved onto a different drink. After that, he was too drunk to work. Reportedly, Peckinpah was only coherent for a few hours a day.
The movie finished 21 days behind schedule and was 1.6 million dollars over budget.
Sam Peckinpaw was forced out of the production, and an MGM President had the film cut from two hours and 4 minutes to one hour and forty-six minutes. This resulted in the film being released as the shortened version.
It was rejected by cast and crew members and was a financial failure. Sam Peckinpaw hated the studio cut of this film so much that he urinated on the screen during its debut.
The MGM executive who destroyed the film lost his job later that year.