American Outlaws

Many of today's younger viewers probably won't know too much about the James Boys, and The Youngers. So they can enjoy this for what it is, "a funny, bullet dodging romp, through the wild west. ". However the older generation should probably steer clear of this one. The Goodies are Baddies, and the Baddies are Goodies. Some of the one liners could have been written by the writers of Joey or Friends, with additional material by Mel Brooks, who might have called it "Men in Strides" I notice that the stunt men and special effects (which seem mandatory in today's films,) got all the awards. Figures about right. Jesse's escape from the train is strictly Van Damme. So, if you've never heard of Bob Ford, watch this, you'll probably enjoy it. However, if you are old enough to remember Bob, and Tyrone Power, I have a feeling that you won't.

Smart, energetic, funny, exciting and underrated; these are just a few adjectives that describe "American Outlaws;" a western that will take everyone by surprise. Colin Farrell is a breath of fresh air and Gabriel Macht is a pure delight as they take the reigns in one of the funniest westerns I have seen.

Farrell and Macht are joined by Scott Caan, Timothy Dalton, Kathy Bates and Ali Larter whose comedic, intelligence and intense talent to create a film that is rich in character driven performances.

Most of the credit must be given to the writers of "American Outlaws" because they took the western genre and created one of the most unique westerns in recent years through the addition of humor. With action-packed sequences, strong performances and smart writing; the writers made the audience look at westerns in a whole new way; clever and stylish.

Though I feel originality is important in any film I see, it is not always necessary for a film to succeed. "American Outlaws" contains many cliché ridden scenes, but the true genius of this film is the presentation of the film.

Inspired by actual events, "American Outlaws" takes the audience on a comedic journey through the lives of the James-Younger gang and their battle with Allan Pinkerton and the railroad.

The success of "American Outlaws" partially stems from the great ensemble performance provided by Farrell, Macht, Larter, Caan, Bates and Dalton. It was apparent from the start that the "American Outlaws" cast gave maximum effort was going to take me on a satisfying comedy thrill ride through the Old West. It was clear that the cast of "American Outlaws" had fun together making the film, so when this occurs everyone is guaranteed the film will bring satisfaction.

Charisma, intensity and courage; these are the elements brought to the screen by the latest breakout star. I must admit it took me awhile to get over the shock of watching a charismatic, youthful looking actor steal the spotlight from his talented co-stars, but that is exactly what occurred with Farrell in "American Outlaws." "American Outlaws" allows Farrell the opportunity to step out of the shadows into the limelight to take his place among the best young actors in Hollywood.

It didn't take long to realize the discovery of the next big movie star would be found in "American Outlaws" with proof coming from Farrell's energetic and fun performance as Jesse James. I was smiling when I saw Farrell on screen because it meant the writers had created a character filled with imagination and ideas that made the movie a joy to watch.

Aside from Farrell, another bright spot in "American Outlaws" shined with the emergence and second breakthrough performance turned in by his co-star, Gabriel Macht. With enormous screen presence and impact turned in by Macht, this is an actor who will soon hear his name called as a winner of the coveted academy award.

Rounding out "American Outlaws" is the addition of Timothy Dalton and Kathy Bates. Commendations must given to Dalton for making the character of Allan Pinkerton a delight to watch. It didn't take me long to recognize that he was the right man for the job. With his look, demeanor and presence, Dalton confirmed my suspicions.

A short appearance can sometimes be the most memorable as with the case of the actress who portrayed Ma James. Bates has always been a favorite of mine because she brings credibility to each film she stars in. With "American Outlaws," Bates role is short, sweet and to the point.

The bottom line is "American Outlaws" is an underrated film that will bring everyone pure satisfaction and serve as great entertainment.

It's not the Long Riders and it's not Who shot Jesse James. It's loosely factual and sometimes comical. Make up your own mind. It's entertaining and isn't that what movies are supposed to be?

I thought this movie would be awful, but I was surprised. This film is not great, and done on a low budget, but has some entertainment value. They have the James gang portrayed as good guys in this film, not a realistic version. Timothy Dalton plays a good role as Pinkerton. In the end this film is a little like Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Released in 2001, "American Outlaws" is yet another rendition of Jesse James, Cole Younger and their Gang. This one focuses on the end of the Civil War and the first few years of the gang's activities,which lasted a whole decade in reality, from 1866-76, ending with the foiled Northfield, Minnesota, bank robbery on September 7, 1876. Jesse & Frank escaped while the others were captured or died. While Frank tried to settle down to a normal life in Virginia Jesse restarted the gang in 1879, but was shot by Robert Ford, one of his trusted gang members on April 3, 1882.

"American Outlaws" is highlighted by a great cast with palpable chemistry, including Colin Farrell as Jesse, Scott Caan (aka 'Danno') as Cole, the beautiful Ali Larter as Zee, Jesse's girlfriend/wife, and Timothy Dalton as the lead Pinkerton. Gabriel Macht, Will McCormack, Nathaniel Arcand and Gregory Smith are also on hand as notable members of the gang. The film plays it fairly serious accented by a fun, joie de vivre spirit, sorta like Indiana Jones in the wild West. You can tell the cast had a blast during filming. This is the exact opposite of the grim "The Long Riders" from 1980, which is arguably the best and most accurate film about the James-Younger Gang.

As far as historical accuracy goes with "American Outlaws," well, there was a group of outlaws in Missouri called the James-Younger Gang and they did rob banks, trains, and stagecoaches in Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, West Virginia and Minnesota (whereas Jesse's later group continued the gangs' criminal legacy in Alabama, Missouri, Louisiana and Mississippi), other than this the historicity is pretty butchered for the sake of rousing Western entertainment. See "The Long Riders" for a more austere and accurate version of the tale.

BOTTOM LINE: Even though "American Outlaws" loses points for inaccuracies and implausibilities, it scores high in overall entertainment value. It's a turn-off-your-brain-and-have-a-blast kind of Western. The movie performed poorly at the box office in 2001 and Roger Ebert gave it a scathing review. Ebert compared it to 1972's "The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid," which he praised. This was strange because that film wasn't exactly realistic either; in fact, it's a veritable parody or black comedy. These movies shouldn't be compared in the first place since "American Outlaws" details the gang's first year in action and "The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid" the gang's final bank robbery, a whole decade later. Furthermore, the two films are expressly opposite in tone: "American Outlaws" makes the wild West larger-than-life and ALMOST fun while the other film de-glamorizes it, making it profane, ugly and idiotic. In any event, "American Outlaws" is seriously rollicking Western lore worthy of one's video library.

The film was shot in Central-East Texas (great locations, by the way) and runs a short-but-sweet 94 minutes.

GRADE: B