Personally, I think bang the dice game is overall a better experience. The end goal is the same regarding the roles, but instead your actions are restricted to what you roll, with a push your luck mechanic that allows for rerolls while keeping it a risk to do so.
Because there are no items, you don't end up in the situation where the sheriff is sitting behind both a hideout and a mustang, flanked by his deputies, unreachable by card steeling mechanics and making it harder for other players to make an impact on his health. While arguably the lack of card combos eliminate cool moments like unloading a ton of saved up bang cards with a volcanic, it also leads to the biggest improvement to game: the games end more quickly so players don't sit out as long. It is also, significantly easier to teach and learn, so it's easy to get it to the table with large groups.