American Outlaws (2001)

If you're looking for a showcase for emerging Hollywood talent, American Outlaws is just the ticket. Its handsome young stars, playing Jesse and Frank James and gang, crack wise as if they were in a contemporary high school locker room. Combining authentic costumes and sets with stunt work befitting a Jackie Chan comedy, accompanied by an "Old West" soundtrack that's anything but old and only marginally Western, the film yields a few enjoyable highlights. Seasoned genre buffs, however, will cringe at the movie's clash of visual qualities, as well as the dialogue, which, while not as heinous as that in Maverick, is on par with Young Guns in terms of non-period flavor. It's not exactly a testament to the enduring potential of the authentic Western that was realized by Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, made barely a decade before.

With all the light-hearted action and character interplay, it's hard to tell if director Les Mayfield (Flubber) is taking the material seriously, but this much is certain: the Jesse James here (played with effortless appeal by Tigerland newcomer Colin Farrell) and his brother Frank (Gabriel Macht) have almost no connection to historical fact. Nor do their fellow farm-raised gang members, the Younger brothers Cole (Scott Caan), Bob (Will McCormack), and Jim (Gregory Smith). (And Jesse's fiancée, played by Ali Larter, looks like she dropped in from a Gap commercial.) The gang's post-Civil War battle against a ruthless railroad baron (Harris Yulin) and his Pinkerton henchman (Timothy Dalton) seems arbitrary, irrational (since farmers typically welcomed railroads, not fought them), and riddled with clichés, turning the movie's bloodless shootouts into another opportunity for pretty-boy preening. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Great Movie

This is a great western and my dad loves it. Thanks so much for your help with this gift. January 24, 2008

Fictional Garbage

While early film offerings, such as "Jesse James," supported the myth, and even some solid recent films, including "The Long Riders," "The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James" and "The Great Northfield Raid," bent facts to condense the story, "American Outlaws" has to qualify as the biggest piece of trash ever made from the standpoint of passing itself off as a serious Western. Mostly, this garbage allowed its cast of pretty faces the opportunity to play "cowboys" like a group of grade-school youngsters. Being a fan of American history, the West in general and the James-Younger Gang in particular, I remember going to see this film when it came out, and the only reason I didn't walk out was to make sure it was trash from start to finish. If you are looking for a Jesse James collection, try those early films and -- by all means -- purchase "The Assination of Jesse James" when available. January 9, 2008

A silly western

The Western genre often has unrealistic action sequences, but the producers of American Outlaws watched too many Jackie Chan movies. Young Guns (Special Edition) pulled off some outrageous stuff with a deft script, but American Outlaws leaves you laughing where you ought to be tense. Who would ever be afraid of Jesse James as played by Colin Farrell? That said, the movie works as a platform to launch new stars. It's engaging enough and has enough moments to keep a viewer's interest and has eye candy for both sexes.

The commentary shows that even movie professionals get star-struck. The people in charge should have spent less time admiring their cast and more time focused on their craft.
The Shut Mouth Society
The Shopkeeper November 17, 2007

Great Movie

I think this movie is great.... bought it along with young guns 1 & 2. I think they are all must-haves. Action, Love, Western, History, Guns, etc. If any of those words interest you then I'd pick it up. Good special features to, and behind the scenes stuff. Got it really quick after ordering too. October 5, 2007

Fairly Good....Not Blazing

Having had little exposure to the whole Jessie James legend out here, it was with some interest and some curiosity that I sat down to view "American Outlaws". The anxiety was a little tense due to Colin Farrell, whose movies have been truly abominable at times.

While tweaking the historical side of things a bit, "American Outlaws" does seem to stick to basic phases of James' life. It also present Jessie James as a largely innocent Confederate hero returning from the ended Civil War. While that may be true in part, things are rarely so simple. So, the factual side has been played with substantially.

That said, what comes out at the end is a good movie with plenty of action, a good dose of humour and some good tension between various members of the James-Younger gang. None of it has been overdone to the point of absurdity, and "American Outlaws" is a good, basic Western movie with plenty of things going bang.

For a good action movie with a Western flavour, this is a good movie. While I would not say it is the best of the Western genre, I rather enjoyed it for what it is. A solid night's entertainment. June 27, 2007

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