Rating: 
Summary: Once upon a time in the West
Review: Every generation gets the Western outlaws it deserves, and in this retelling of the exploits of the James-Younger gang, the boys are buff, puppyish and impeccably barbered, ridin' and robbin' and shootin' with the frisky glee of youngsters blowing off some steam. And mindful of the fact that today's audiences just hate an unhappy ending, screenwriters Roderick Taylor and John Rogers cut short the story before things go horribly wrong.Hey, who wants to see a charismatic hero get shot in the back in his own living room? Bummer! The film opens at the end of the Civil War, as Missouri natives Frank (Hottie Gabrial Macht) and Jesse James (Super Hottie Colin Farrell) and their cousins Cole (Buffed up Hottie Scott Caan) and Bob Younger (Will McCormack) get in a few last licks at the hated Yankees. They return home to their farms, only to find ruthless railroad men in the employ of robber baron Thaddeus Rains (Harris Yulin) busy intimidating the locals into selling their land for a pittance. To back up his regular bullies, Rains has hired Allan Pinkerton (Timothy Dalton), whose detectives supply additional muscle. And since the railroaders are all from up North, they're still mighty mad about the war and have it in for men who fought with Southern guerrilla groups, as did the James and Younger boys. No sooner has Jesse rescued the hot-headed Cole from a close encounter with the gallows than the James and Younger farms are torched and Mrs. James (Kathy Bates) killed. Jesse, Frank, Cole, Bob and the youngest Younger, Jim (Gregory Smith - TV's Everwood), vow to retaliate by targeting Rains's banks, supply trains and railroad tracks, and cultivate public support by giving money to poor farmers, sick children and widow women. Meanwhile, Pinkerton is hell-bent on bringing the gang to justice; after all, he was injured when Cole skipped out on his date with the hangman, so this time it's personal. That the real Jesse James and his kin were considerably less nice than their fictional counterparts hardly merits mention here: While movies like THE LONG RIDERS (1980) and THE GREAT NORTHFIELD, MINNESOTA RAID (1972) aim to be serious considerations of the outlaws' lives and legends, this picture just wants to have fun. Taylor and Rogers do make some effort to situate the outlaws historically, though their most conspicuous achievement lies in alluding regularly to the South's post-Civil War suffering without ever mentioning that unpleasant slavery business.
Rating: 
Summary: Action Packed - Great Entertainment
Review: I have read some of the other reviews that say it is historically inaccurate. That it is weak in the acting. First of all the acting is pretty good - better than most movies - and secondly who cares anyway? Maybe a few of the critics or movie nerds that just can't watch a movie for entertainment care, but for 99% of the people who watch this, they dont care. This is a VERY entertaining movie. Lots of action. Lots of well known stars. Two nice looking lead stars in Colin Ferrell and Ali Larter that do great jobs. Most people now like the futuristic type action films, I prefer this old west era. Just watch the movie and you will be pleasantly surprised in how entertaining it is. If you are a movie critic nerd, then just go rent a foreign artsie movie and watch YOUR garbage. :-)
Rating: 
Summary: Movies this bad should be outlawed
Review: The tale of infamous outlaws Jesse and Frank James receives a severe dumbing-down by Hollywood in a lame attempt to create a new millenium YOUNG GUNS. AMERICAN OUTLAWS will appeal only to braindead youths in the 11-14 aged bracket (I know. I used to be one). It's sad to see Kathy Bates reduced to acting in this (She's good, as usual). The real American Outlaws here are the film makers. Someone ought to tar and feather those yellow-bellied freeloaders. The dialogue is terrible ("Sadie was a beautiful woman, Sadie was not a man". "She had a mustache. A nice mustache") and the movie is not worth the price of the videotape its printed on.
The back of the video (in Aus/NZ at least) says: "This is one wild ride where the young guns rock the establishment with originality and attitude". If you thought ON DEADLY GROUND was a wild ride full of originality and attitude, then AMERICAN OUTLAWS is probably your type of movie. Others will probably want to re-view THE SEARCHERS or THE WILD BUNCH and be reminded of how westerns SHOULD be.
Rating:
Summary: Who cares about historical inaccuracy!
Review: Honestly, if you expected to see a whole movie based EXACTLY upon Jesse James' life, you are always going to be disappointed. The directors, producers, and even the cast, said during the making of the movie, behind-the-scenes, and interviews, that the movie was not based entirely on fact! A movie rarely is! Even "Titanic" and "Pearl Harbor" were historically inaccurate!
But if you are looking for a Western movie, to give you a little enjoyment and fun in your life, American Outlaws is a great rent! You have action, romance, and even comedy! The plotlines of the movie gravitate around betrayal, honor, and devotion to one's land and family. It's a feel-good movie! And, of course, the handsome men in the movie do help a bit!!
Rating:
Summary: To Cameron Krummer from Riverton, UT
Review: Fool, the gatling gun WAS used during the civil war. Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler purchased twelve for 1000 dollars each and used them successly on the Petersburg front in 1864. Is that the only "inaccuracy" you could think of?
Rating:
Summary: Fun, Albeit Inaccuarate
Review: There aren't too many new Westerns out lately, and when they do come along, they're often jewels (i.e. Tombstone, Maverick). While not a great aid for a history class, American Outlaws is a fun, action-packed ride with a great cast. The film stars the surprisingly talented Colin Farrel, an Irishman with a great American accent, as Jesse James, the infamous outlaw. He does a wonderful job with the character, turning a ruthless outlaw into a very likeable guy. Along Jesse is his brother, and his cousins, all of whom are very good in their roles. Most notably is Will McCormack as Bob Younger, quite possibly the funniest character of any Western. His issues with being the forgettable gang member made me laugh for a long time. If you're looking for action, this movie is wonderful. The shootouts, fights, and even Civil War scenes are quite spectacular, although somewhat unbelievable (a character runs alongside a train shooting in the windows, you have to see it). I must warn you - Check your brain at the door. Its much more fun that way. This brings me to my only gripe - the historical inaccuracies. I am a history buff, and while the film is close to the true story of the James-Younger Gang, the subtle differences bug me a bit. The biggest being the Gatling Gun the Union soldiers use. The Gatling gun wasn't invented during the Civil War, but came along during the time of Custer. All in all, American Outlaws delivers a great ride that picks you up from the first second and doesn't let go. If you don't want a history lesson, but a rough and tumble good time with plenty of shooting and the occasional hilarious moment, pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: A shallow movie for shallow viewers
Review: This is to movies what "Springtime For Hitler" was to plays. The Jameses and the Youngers were part of outlaw raiding parties against Northern towns during the Civil War and murdered people during their bank robberies. If you want to make a fun, fictional movie, use fictional names. I don't have a quarrel with the reviewers that said they knew the plot was fiction, but liked the movie for its entertainment or good-looking cast. That's your choice. But when reviews say that Colin Farrell "is completely believable as Jesse," that "the history of Jesse, Frank, and Jim were accurate," or the movie "shows the motivation and the reasoning behind the famous outlaw gang," I feel like I'm watching auditions for "Street Smarts." The movie tells you that the James-Younger gang was heroically fighting oppression by the railroads. In truth, they were thieves and murderers. If you want to see what the gang did to people--including shooting a father going to the aid of his fallen son-- ... It's wrong to make cold-blooded killers out as heroes just for the sake of a few box office dollars, whether it was 10 years ago or 130 years ago. To those that say "historical accuracy is a moot point," that may be your opinion, but it's certainly not mine.
Rating:
Summary: The Icelandic view on American Outlaws
Review: The movie, American Outlaws, brings a new and refreshing aproach to westerns. The movie has everything a good western has to have. An outlaw, a wicked mastermind, the girl, the jeolous friend and of course the sheriff who chases the outlaw across the country. And the casting couldn't be better, Colin Farrell, one of the fastest rising stars in Hollywood, Caan and as Pinkerton, Timothy Dalton. So basically, Must See TV!!!
Rating:
Summary: AWFUL!
Review: I have read a great deal about the James/Younger gang, and have seen a number of films about them. Not only is this the worst western I've ever seen, it's one of the two worst movies I've ever seen, period, in my 47 years alive on this earth. Don't waste your time! Read one of Marley Brant's books about them or watch The Long Riders instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Action & Humor--Lacks Authenticity
Review: "American Outlaws" is a fun Western action flick if you don't get hung up on authenticity. In this version of the Jesse James story, the gang, led by Colin Farrell as Jesse James and Scott Caan as Cole Younger resorts to bank and train robbery when the railroad seeks to buy up their families' farms for a pittance. The James-Younger Gang is portrayed as 19th century merrymen who prefer to avoid murder when possible and who donate a portion of their proceeds back to the communities. The long list of murders attributed to the gang is downplayed. The movie combines some creative escapes and rescues and some excellent equestrian scenes with a good mix of humor. Wanted posters provide a continuing source of laughs as early robbery victims fail to recognize the boys from their poorly drawn posters, and later, one of the Younger brothers tries to stand out more during a robbery so that people will remember what he looks like because he's frustrated by the poor likeness that appears on his wanted poster. Kathy Bates as the Ma James makes some very funny comments about being proud of her boys for being good Christians and killing Yankees. Authenticity, however, has gone out the window in many areas: costuming, historical accuracy, dialogue, music. Although James didn't marry his sweetheart Zee Mimms until 1874, in "American Outlaws" James appears to leave the gang to marry not so many years after the Civil War.... The costuming for Mimms (Ali Larter) is glaringly awful. Although she would look great in accurate period clothes and hairstyles, the film makers seemed to opt for attire from the nearest country-western shop--perhaps to maximize her "hot babe" appeal. Other characters, such as Bates, get more authentic costumes. The music also seemed to be selected to appear to teens and twentysomethings rather than to reflect an accurate 1860s sound. This musical direction struck me as ironic considering that "Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou" has renewed interest in traditional bluegrass music, which has its roots in the era featured in "American Outlaws," and the 19th century song "Minstral Boy" has been heard recently in "Black Hawk Down" and on commercials. As for dialogue, although the James gang doesn't run around addressing each other as "Hey, Dude," the language still sounds too modern for the period. So, overall, great action and funny moments throughout make this an entertaining but inauthentic movie. Note: This review does not refer to the DVD. I caught the movie on HBO.
| 
