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All Flixster 3.0 Stars (9162) Want To See 3091 Not Interested 24657
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Male 3.0 Stars (3413) Want To See 1152 Not Interested 9186

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Young Guns (100%)

Plot: 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...( read more read more... ) 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

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Recent Reviews


  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    October 2, 2008
    Very bad directing and the movie is to obvious, this could be a good movie if it had a good director and a better screenplay
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    August 13, 2008
    Know what happens when a movie doesn't have enough leading role power to burst into the Box Office? Some movies move to the fringes of the Summer Blockbuster Season. Others call the thing an ensemble piece. "American Outlaws" decided to do both. And the best part about this comedy/western is that it does them both well.

    Meet the James-Younger gang. Actually, wait for the story to set up by way of a last Civil War battle and something about the railroad ousting farmers from their land, and THEN meet the James-Younger gang. Why not the Younger-James gang? Because people would wonder if there was ever an Older-James gang, silly. And that's pretty much the tone of most of the piece. Just one silly little comment after another. In the midst of battle, robberies, or bar fight you can expect comedy to soon follow.

    That's a very good thing considering the people spouting out such lines aren't very memorable actors. Sure you've probably spotted them supporting other actors elsewhere. Gregory Smith was in "Small Solders" and "The Patriot." Scott Caan was in "Gone in 60 Seconds" and "Boiler Room." The point is all of them came together in this production to make for a pretty reasonable ensemble piece about a group of guys wanting to take on that aforementioned railroad after returning from the also aforementioned war battle.

    So with enough explosions and guffaws to satisfy most late summer moviegoers, are there any problems to be found in "American Outlaws?"

    Certainly. I kind of hit on the fact the film takes a while to get into the plot. After cruising awhile Ali Larter (playing one of the only two female roles) seems to gum things up quite a bit too. And then there is that kind of half-assed ending. But trust me, when the movie is good. It's clap your hands, laugh out loud, slap your buddy, kind of good.
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    August 2, 2008
    Firstly: this should have been longer.

    Secondly: I missed a little more depth into things.

    Other than that: a perfect movie! It puts you into a fine mood, with its light, almost funny air. Somewhat heavy issues are dealt with smiling faces and polite words. Definite watch!
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    August 1, 2008
    Normally I dont really watch westerns. I dont like them much...but this one...well i have a thing for the outlaw jesse james, okay? nuf said x)
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 26, 2008
    Absolutely fun !! I think that's the only way to describe such a movie and that was the point of it !! So I'm not going to criticize the plot or the acting which were OK to be fair..
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    June 25, 2008
    Love this movie, has a fav animal actor of mine in it just damn good fun!!soundtrack is great as well
  • 2.5 Stars
    MCT:
    June 23, 2008
    Westerns aren't really my types of film. I don't tend to enjoy them as much as I would any other genre. But in this case I couldn't say no to Colin Farrell and Gabriel Macht. I didn't have a clue what it was about until about halfway through when the name Jesse James finally registered. Not the best Western, of very few, that i've ever seen. The stunt sequences were pretty average. Nothing special about the directing or the characterisation. That acting wasn't bad from Farrell and Macht. Although an Irishman playing an American figure like this was a bit odd. The rest of the cast were forgettable, especially Ali Larter. She just seemed completely out of place the whole way through the film. Not a film I would recommend unless you're a huge fan of one of the actors involved because any fan of Westerns would probably find this a really shit movie. I thought it was below average.
  • 1.5 Stars
    MCT:
    June 23, 2008
    Never before have I seen such an abysmal attempt to revitalise the Western genre. 'American Outlaws' could very well be a parody, but it is not; the drama takes itself overwhelmingly seriously, yet everything seems to have a teenage, adolescent edge as though the action belongs in the 21st century.

    The film attempts to chronicle the life of outlaw Jesse James and his gang, but for the acting involved they could very well be mistaken for a bunch of schoolboys or a boyband. Colin Farrell, Ali Larter and Timothy Dalton are all good actors, but simply wasted talents on the embarassing script. And why Kathy Bates chose a role in the film has no conceivable explanation.

    The film is essentially an action-comedy that is deeply conventional, but poorly executed. There is minimal tension, the action scenes are repetitive and too light-hearted to invoke any adrenaline while the comedy is simply not funny. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of unintentionally amusing moments, but we laugh at the film; not with it.

    The film's one asset is the scenery - it captures audience attention more than anything else on screen. Even the costume and set design have a repulsive, pantomime feel to them, only increasing your levels of hatred toward this picture.

    In short, 'American Outlaws' is not engaging, interesting or well made. The acting is poor, and the script just about of the worst kind you get in Hollywood. It makes Jesse James' gang of criminals seem less daunting than a junior school playground. A waste of time for everyone involved, but mainly paying audience members; I am still suppressing my raging hatred of everything about 'American Outlaws'.
  • 2.5 Stars
    MCT:
    June 18, 2008
    Up beat star-driven film. Changes historical events for a happier plot. Timothy Dalton's villain also never strikes one as being threatening enough to fear.
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    February 3, 2008
    Pending Review...

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  • 2.5 Stars
    MCT:
    January 8, 2008
    Pretty good action keeps this one afloat. It's like a young Guns for the new generation but just not as good.
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    January 2, 2008
    It was not a perfect movie.poor visual effects and poor acting.an old story and it did not have anything new at all.
  • 1.0 Star
    MCT:
    December 17, 2007
    One word Crap. It isn't a movie as much as a promtional tool to show the word how cool Colin Farrell is or just how lousy an actor he is. This is the guy Al Pacino said is the greatest actor of our time? The Al Pacino deserves an another oscar for saying that with a straight face. I hate Colin Farrell.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    December 3, 2007
    For what it was, for young future stars, this was a well done western of the James and Younger gang.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    December 1, 2007
    Yeah, it's stupid mindless entertainment ... but it's fun stupid mindless entertainment! Have I mentioned yet today that Colin Farrell is hot? No? Okay, he is.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    October 12, 2007
    ooo colin farrell, scott caan AND gabriel macht....oh yes...3 times the good movie than you'd think by looking at the cover, lol
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    September 1, 2007
    i LOOOOOVE this movie! I havn't seen it in 2 years though. I was watching like everynight when we went on our trip to Colorado! It's so good! I have a thing for western movies.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    August 17, 2007
    i love this movie! the bad guys really get it in the end. and it tells another kinda story bout jesse james and how he came to be.
  • Want To See
    MCT:
    August 15, 2007
    love westerns especially about the james brothers, billy the kid, butch cassidy etc so im loooking forward tos eeing this
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    August 12, 2007
    coliin played a great Jesse James...its too bad they have to ruin a great character by getting Brad Pitt to play him
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    July 31, 2007
    IF you love Jesse James you will love this movie because it is practically all about him and his gang
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 30, 2007
    If you're willing to let history fall to the wayside and accept this movie for what it is, you might enjoy yourself. As for me, well... it's probably all the cute guys in the cast.

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Comments


  • kylakohl
    Out of all the movies made about Jesse James this one is the best. I watched " the long riders" and It dosent even compare to how good this movie is.
    posted 615 days ago
  • sexylilswainka
    Hottest movie ever! Love Colin AlwaysAndForever!
    posted 760 days ago
  • Ch0LiTa
    this movie is really niceeeeeeee
    posted 777 days ago