I cavalieri dalle lunghe ombre

1980 brought us yet another telling of the tale of the James brothers and their outlaw exploits. The attention getting gimmick that this film has is the casting of real life brothers in the various roles.

The Carradines play the Younger brothers, the Quaids play the Millers, the Guests play the Fords and starring are Stacy and James Keach as Frank and Jesse James. With some license the film does stick close to the facts though somewhat out of order.

James Keach takes an honored place besides such folks as Tyrone Power, Audie Murphy, Robert Wagner and in the future Rob Lowe would essay the part of Jesse James. Keach compartmentalizes his life well with being a strict family man when not working and one mean outlaw when he is. The film also shows how easily things can go wrong with the best laid plans and Jesse was a planner.

The climax is the Great Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery disaster which went so wrong. A miracle that Jesse didn't lose more of his men that day. The incident was depicted in one of those violence ballets that Sam Peckinpah did so well. Wouldn't be surprised if Peckinpah wasn't considered to be director.

My favorite is David Carradine as Cole Younger and he has the best moment in the film in a fight with Sam Starr played by James Remar for Belle Starr played with flourish by Pamela Reed. The weapon of choice is Bowie knives. This duel has a surprise ending.

The Long Riders is one fine western and highly recommend.

In the Missouri, after the civil war, the James & Younger gang steals banks and trains, and are chased by the Pinkertons. This movie is a very different western, showing the outlaws as human beings, having families, raising children. Walter Hill uses the Carredine, Quaid and Keach brothers in real life to perform the former bandits and it is a great attraction in this film. The music, arranged and composed by Ry Cooder, fits perfectly to the story. However, the characters are not well developed, maybe because of the quantity of lead actors versus the running time, and the story loses the explanation of the motives for the behavior of the bandits, being cruel while robbing and very close to their families, being good sons, husbands and friends. Anyway, the performance of the cast is excellent and the movie does not disappoint. My vote is seven.

Title ('Brazil'): 'Cavalgada dos Proscritos' (Ride of the Proscribes')

Using real-life acting brothers for the various sets of sibling characters in this movie might be seen as a cheesy PR stunt or an inspired move. I prefer the inspirational viewpoint. The Carradine's are superb as the Younger Brothers and the Keech's portray the James boys with considerable restrained menace, depth and stage presence. Jesse James' as played by James Keech is part humble farmer, part cold psychotic killer. Considering what the gang got up to in 19th century post-civil war Missouri, one tends to think this is just what the man himself was probably like. While Brother Frank appears to have the charisma and logic, Jesse has the steel within him and the cold detachment required for the outlaw life. However both are upstaged by David Carradine as Coleman Younger, the long haired, flamboyant, world weary star of the film. Carradine is quite superb throughout; laconic, quick witted, cool and surprisingly likable. Director Walter Hill certainly manages to bring out the contrasting and distinct characters of the gang members and wraps them up in unusual locations (for a western). This produces some wonderfully atmospheric moments and scenes of sheer cinematic poetry. All that is visually arresting about a good "cowboy " film is present here but in a stylish and individual way. The script has some dark comedy, some deep pathos and never sounds so well crafted that a bunch of country outlaws wouldn't say any of it. Some of the supporting cast stand out in their own right; Cole's fiesty whore, Belle, The James' brother mom and a young Dennis Quaid as wild but rejected former gang member, Ed Miller. All give good performances in what is a great piece of ensemble acting topped by moody photography, great stunt work and a view of these famous outlaws that doesn't paint them as quite the Robin Hood heroes of popular myth, nor totally amoral hooligans. A worthy film from an era not noted for many good Westerns.

Admittedly, the Western is not my favourite movie genre, which is partly why I like this film so much, as to my mind it is unique in several regards. For a start, none of the usual Western icons are present, which I find refreshing. There is no leading man either, no "hero", none of the usual "good guys" fighting the "bad guys" scenario. Another outstanding feature is the unique soundtrack(slide guitar, and traditional tunes), which makes a pleasant change to the usually obligatory orchestral soundtrack for Westerns. This movie is short and sweet and never drags or goes off on a romantic subplot. The slow motion option for the shoot-out scenes was a wise choice and it adds a lot of impact. Even a "minor" detail like the grey dusters worn by all members of the gang serves to enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of the film. The Northfield ambush and escape sequence near the end of the film is compelling and I find myself re-watching that scene repeatedly whenever I watch the movie. And, lastly, I just happen to like the actors David and Keith Carradine, and James and Stacy Keach.

As Sam Peckinpah's 'The Getaway,' Walter Hill's 'The Long Riders' almost elevates cinema violence into an art form…

Visually, 'The Long Riders' contains much that is stunning, even mesmerizing: the green Missouri scenic landscapes; the train robbery sequence; the stagecoach heist; the crossing of a wild river; but there is no question that it is the scene of the gang's disastrous foray into Northfield, Minnesota - that highlight this film… These specific episodes give 'The Long Riders' its rhythm, power, spectacle, and excitement…

With his slow motion 'terror shootout,' Hill seems to impress his viewers by showing them an inventive montage of high-level gory violence… But Hill's most wonderful sequences are those that were the most reserved: the wonderful moment when Frank is cutting the hardest wood with a forest ax and his brother Jesse, walking with his fiancée, attempting to settle down and raise a family…

Hill may have a reputation for being a tough guy, but his best screen moments (in "Hard Times", "The Warriors", "Streets of Fire") are the ones in which he allows his romantic tendencies to slip through, when he gives his characters the dignity that means so much to them… Hill tries to debunk the American myth that Western gunfighters were "heroes," and to show these embittered guys for the 'rough men that they really were.'

Hill's real intention is to present us with a gang of four families of brothers, and get us to accept them on their own terms, in their own brutal world… The men of 'The Long Riders' are at their most dastardly at the beginning of the film when Ed Miller (Dennis Quaid) indiscriminately shoots an innocent clerk, but for the rest of the film - one by one - Hill reveals their better, more 'human' sides… We further get to appreciate them as we compare them to the awful men around them; next to the Pinkertons killing a simple-minded 15 year old boy, they come out best, the 'good guys.'

To Hill, good and bad aren't on opposite sides of the coin; they share the edge