American Outlaws

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.

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.

You know, it makes me laugh when I read other people's negative reviews on this movie. Yeah, this movie is riddled with historical inaccuracies and all the outlaws are so darn young and good looking, but hey, that's not the point. I don't think this movie was meant to be a serious study about Frank and Jesse James. This movie was made strictly to entertain and to make people laugh.

One already knows from the first five minutes into the movie that this is a comedy/action movie. I enjoyed it for what it was, mindless entertainment! Yeah, Colin Farrell is HOT! As a matter of fact, the rest of the outlaws are all very young and cute. Even if the females audience do not care much for the plot or for the cartoon violence, I'm sure they would get some visceral thrill out of seeing all these good looking young guys together on the screen. The male audience will enjoy the humor and the fight scenes and big explosions and Ali Larter, the pretty blonde actress that plays Zee. Ali Larter reminds me of the models in the old 1970s' shampoo commercials, all shiny blonde hair and big smiles.

This movie was fun to watch from beginning to end. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a fun action comedy.

By the way, now that the DVD is out, I hope everyone catches the deleted scenes from the movie. They are very good. It's a shame these scenes were not included into the movie, they would've showed a little more depth to the characters of Frank and Jesse James.

I like Western movies. I wished Hollywood made more Western movies. So, when Hollywood does decide to quell the hunger of a Western flick fan by making one...how can one resist?

I have to say I enjoyed "American Outlaws". It isn't hard-core Western but a fun, likeable summer movie. I liked the cast of this film. Colin Farrell was fun to watch as Jesse James but I absolutely loved Gabriel Macht as his older brother Frank. Bill McCormack was funny as Bob Younger and even Scott Caan, whom you aren't sure if you should like or not gave a good performance as Cole Younger.

I liked the twist this movie offers painting the James/Younger gang as the good guys and the Pinkerton's as the bad guys. It was different and that's what made it fun.

Sure this film isn't historically accurate but who cares?? Some have complained that the shooting scenes weren't realistic enough...who cares?? Do we really need so much violence to feel satisfied? Do we need to see how a bullet ravages the human body to feel that a Western is worth while? The point is made well enough without all the blood and gore. Don't let these pointless anecdotes deter you from watching this movie. You might be surprised! I certainly was.

"American Outlaws" is a fun, family movie. We should thank Warner Bros. for making a film/Western that our kids can watch without all the other junk (bad language, nudity, sexual innuendos etc.) that inundates most movies today! If you like Westerns and even if you don't, check this one out!

The legend of Jesse James is one of those stories that people just never seem to get tired of. Every few years, we see a new cinematic version of the life of James, a former Confederate raider who became a folk hero after he turned to banditry following the war. The latest iteration of the story is "American Outlaws", a red-blooded B-style shoot-'em-up that offers little in the way of historical accuracy and even less in the way of storytelling elegance, but does serve up plenty of action and lots of fun.

Jesse (hot Irish newcomer Colin Farrell) makes a name for himself on the battlefields of the Civil War as an unpredictable live wire willing to do anything to get the Yankees. After the war, he and his levelheaded sure-shot brother Frank (Gabriel Macht) return to their home in Liberty, Missouri, only to find the railroad coming through town. The big rail money, backed up by hard-skulled detective Allen Pinkerton (a glowering Timothy Dalton), wants to buy the James farm, but the boys aren't selling. They didn't shed their blood on the battlefields just to give their home over to a railroad. Soon, however, it's back to war when a bomb destroys their farmhouse and the only way to get revenge is to strap on your guns and ride. As they rob railroad payrolls and bedevil the authorities, Jesse, Frank, and their gang get something besides revenge: they become authentic American legends.

It's a story every schoolboy knows. Hell, Bobby Brady was a Jesse James aficionado. Still, it's been a while since we've had a telling of the story, and this one does a fairly good job of keeping us entertained. Les Mayfield is not the obvious choice to direct a western (his most notable previous film was "Encino Man" with Pauly Shore), but he actually does a decent job. He handles the action sequences with flair, particularly a crackerjack bank shootout and Jesse's escape from the rail baron's train. The film's period accoutrements are all present and accounted for, the costumes and guns appropriately impressive, the cinematography by Russell Boyd all vibrant browns and golds.

There are also some nice performances from the mostly young cast. Colin Farrell makes Jesse a likable, oddly sweet kid whose charm is just as deadly as his gun. Scott Caan matches him as the hotheaded Cole Younger (more on him later), and Gabriel Macht is a sensible and solid Frank, his performance the best thing in the film. Ali Larter is nice eye candy as Jesse's lady love, but the story really gives her nothing to do, and while Dalton growls impressively behind a grungy-looking beard, he doesn't really get the chance to do anything evil.

This is where "American Outlaws" starts shooting itself in the foot. There is no real sense of a concrete enemy for the boys to battle, a true and implacable adversary. Harris Yulin blusters and barks as the railroad baron, but he never truly emerges as a figure of loathing. As a result, the film's finale is unfocused and confusing. Pinkerton's final action in particular makes no sense to me at all. Is he just giving a cocky young kid the benefit of the doubt? Is he doing it because Jesse's wife is hot? I don't get it.

"American Outlaws" is a frustrating film in some ways because everything you like is balanced by something that rubs you the wrong way. A great Civil War battle opening is marred by the sparseness of the Union ranks (Mayfield should have called for more extras that day). An appropriately Coplandesque score by Trevor Rabin is almost wholly sabotaged by the inclusion of a Moby song (MOBY!) at both the beginning and the end of the film. It almost makes you want to grab a six-gun yourself and blaze away at the troublemakers, leaving behind only those who are contributing admirably to the enterprise.

Still, I've come to expect the good with the bad this summer, and "American Outlaws" joins "Tomb Raider" and "The Mummy Returns" as a piece of escapism that is better than the critics' comments indicate, but not as good as it probably should be. Still, with these flouncy dull MTV teen comedies STILL dominating the marketplace, it's nice to see someone delivering a good old fashioned genre piece. In these parlous cinematic times, even a problematic western is better than no western at all.

I close with a bit of real history: after they stopped riding with the James boys, Cole Younger and his outlaws kept going, and one time even attempted to rob a farmhouse in their area. The woman of the house got the drop on them, though; she slammed a window on a gang member's hand, costing him two of his fingers. She survived to live a healthy long life, and have children and grandchildren of her own. One of those grandchildren was my grandmother. Someone should put THAT in a movie. It would make me happy.