La légende de Jesse James

There are some very interesting moments in this movie. The performance by Cliff Robertson is indeed very good, and I think the movie raises some interesting points in its portrayal of the James/Younger gang as a metaphor for the final death rattle of the old south against the modernizing north. However, this movie can't seem to decide between a comedic tone or an ironic and cynical one. I would say it succeeds in its more serious moments, but the comedic sections are very contrived.

I went to college in Northfield, and I was glad to see my alma mater represented in the film (before its name was changed to Carleton). I became pretty familiar with this raid after attending Northfield's annual "Defeat of Jesse James Days" festivities four times. Surprisingly, the actual raid itself is portrayed fairly accurately, with the proper body count and roughly similar series of events, although some details are different. I liked the irony the filmmakers added with the incident of Cole Younger fixing the rifle that was later used to snipe at his gang members. Oh yeah, and you gotta love those snow capped mountains that surround Northfield (yeah, right), and the whorehouse full of buxom Scandanavians!

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid is written and directed by Philip Kaufman and stars Cliff Robertson, Robert Duvall, Luke Askew and R.G. Armstrong. It's a Technicolor production with Bruce Surtees the cinematographer and music is scored by Dave Grusin. Plot is based around the James-Younger gang's infamous attempt at robbing the "biggest bank west of Mississippi" in Northfield, Minnesota, September 7th, 1876.

The Western done cinéma vérité by Philip Kaufman, very much leaning towards the "mud and rags" Oaters that were filing in post Sam Peckinpah's Wild Bunch. Jesse James has provided the inspiration for a whole host of movies, with many of them having different interpretations on the man, the myth and his life. Kaufman dismantles the myth aspect and cloaks it in a sort of satirical grimness, flecking it with moments of crudeness whilst paying attention to history (the usual liberties aside) and the changing climate of the time. However, with Kaufman's affection for comic book characters also comes the odd blending of tones, rendering the film an acquired taste. The narrative is strong, with the added bonus of the story continuing after the robbery, and Duvall gives Jesse James an energetic and bonkers makeover. But a safe recommendation to Western fans it is not.

I liked it enough, but not enough in that I could watch it again, but it would come as no surprise to me if it was some Western purists' favourite Western. Roll the dice and take a chance, really. 6/10

Philip Kaufman's first major-studio film was one of many interesting but not very commercially successful (the major exceptions being "Little Big Man" and "Soldier Blue") revisionist westerns in the early 70s. Like "Bad Company," "Dirty Little Billy" and others it's more interesting conceptually than it is in execution, despite good performances and some flavorful period atmosphere (notably during an early, rough, messy baseball game in a cow field). But the narrative thrust is somewhat diffused, the psychological insight not esp. deep, and for the most part the violence is routinely handled. The result is a consistently interesting historical drama but not a particularly suspenseful or exciting one, which is odd given the extreme eventfulness of the "James Gang's" criminal career.

Aspects of this story were chronicled with vastly more focus and force in the recent epic "The Assassination of Jesse James" (which was, lamentably, also a total commercial flop). "Great Northfield" is worth seeing for Kaufman fans, among others, but he certainly hit closer to the bullseye with his subsequent "The White Dawn," "The Wanderers" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" before graduating to big-budget cinema with "The Right Stuff."

This is a terrific film with an amazing performance by Robert Duvall.

The cast is excellent and the direction by Philip Kaufman (THE RIGHT STUFF) is visceral and exciting. This film captures the energy of the real Old West. The film takes place in 1876 when the U.S. was just taking shape as a nation. Wonderful new contraptions are coming into being which fascinate the outlaws. Duvall plays the famous, often psychopathic outlaw Jesse James. Duvall is like a demon possessed and dangerous as a coiled snake. This film shows off what a wonderful actor he is. There is a rollicking energy to this often humorous and alternately tragic film that captivates the viewer. I cannot recommend this film enough. IT IS A

Interesting movie has something of the rueful eccentricity of a Peckinpah movie, although it's told on a much more modest scale. The movie has a sense of transition, with expressions of wonderment at the new steam engine vehicles and even at the game of baseball - there's a sense of gun culture being pushed out and marginalized, although the town's crooked banker illustrates that the new age isn't going to be free of corruption. The structure also has an appealing oddity, illustrated by the band of pursuers on the train, monitored through the entire movie, only to turn up at the end after it's too late. Duvall is occasionally almost Apostle-like as Jesse James and Robertson gives one of his most flavoured performances as Cole Younger. The movie seems very much like a tentative first work and explores themes and ideas in a fundamentally very modest way, but the overall mood is quirky and distinctive and the trim ninety minutes running time makes it an appealing digression.