Rating: 
Summary: Not an action film...
Review: ...but then it's not really supposed to be. The Newton Boys is really a period piece, the true story of the most successful bank robbers in U.S. history. They didn't gain the notoriety of Bonnie and Clyde because they didn't kill anyone, but they did make off with huge sums of money. The film is an interesting look at an era, with strong performances from most of the cast. If you don't go into it expecting The Untouchables or Die Hard, you'll enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Something for everyone (which is truly rare)
Review: For once, a based-upon-a-true-story movie that didn't put me to sleep. The costumes were marvelous (what I wouldn't give to dress like Julianna Margulies), and I even found the credits entertaining, due to the video clips of the actual Newton boys in interview. This is a movie that would even please my father-in-law! Although I kept expecting one of the boys to die (what, a movie that doesn't kill off half the characters?!), and usually the cute young ones always bite the biscuit. This movie wasn't the best of the year, but any movie that I can watch without someone in my family hating it gets my 5 star approval.
Rating: 
Summary: Good fun but ultimately disappointing...
Review: I am a fan of nearly everyone connected to this movie - particularly Richard Linklater - so was disappointed when I finally got to see it recently.The film is an affectionate re-telling of the story of the Newton Boys. A famous story in America I am sure but I am from the UK and was unfamiliar with it, whether this was an advantage or not I am still unsure. The film opens with the same nostalic and slightly tongue-in-cheek feel as the wonderful Bonnie & Clyde but it quickly becomes apparent that you are not watching a film of the same class. I have always found Linklater to be a subtle and innovative director but The Newton Boys has a pedestrian feel to it, bio-pic by numbers if you will. The story plods along and is reasonably endearing but fails to really win over the audience. You get the impression that you are supposed to fall for the 'charming thieves' but none of the characters are fleshed out enough to make you care. Consequently the moments of great humour and also great tragedy are glossed over without the audience fully empathising. Actually the whole thing had the feel of a TV movie rather than a 'major motion picture' as the saying goes. Don't let me completely put you off though, it is an enjoyable movie just not one I am likely to want to watch again. The performances are all good, as you would expect from the cast, but the surprise for me was Dwight Yoakam who was excellent as the sardonic safecracker. One great touch though were the end credits which feature real life footage of two of the Newton Boys and having followed their story for a couple of hours it was interesting to see the archive material. One to watch if it is ever on TV but don't rush to buy this.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating history of US's most successful bank robbers
Review: I didn't see this movie when it first hit the theatres but, being a fan of Matthew McConaughey, Dwight Yoakam and Skeet Ulrich, I rented it when it became available. GREAT, fun movie! And based on the true story of four brothers from Uvalde, Texas (where McConaughey was born) who were not only the most successful bank robbers in US history but ALL lived to ripe old age, unlike those that followed them a few years later, like Bonnie & Clyde, Dillinger, etc. McConaughey, Ulrich, Ethan Hawke (excellent!) and Vincent D'Onofrio play the Newton Boys. Dwight Yoakam is wonderful as their "cowardly" sidekick who handles the nitroglycerin the gang uses on their jobs. Julianna Margulies has THE most beautiful 1920s costumes in her role as McConaughey's love interest, Louise. The film also has the best honky-tonk soundtrack, courtesy of an Austin band called Bad Livers (get ahold of a copy if you can - it is SO worth it!) and during the closing credits, we get to see the real Joe and Willis Newton in interviews. Joe's is particularly funny as he is on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson". And the robbery the gang pulls in Toronto has GOT to be the funniest debacle in outlaw movie history! There is a book available at Amazon entitled "The Newton Boys" which this film is based on and it's basically the oral history of the gang's exploits as remembered by Willis and Joe. Makes for fascinating reading and one other bit of trivia - when Dock Newton (D'Onofrio's character) was in his 70s, in 1968 I believe, he tried to rob the First National Bank of Rowena, Texas which just happened to be the birthplace of one infamous Miss Bonnie Parker. Just another great bit of American history not taught in schools. Heck, even Frank Hamer, ALSO of Bonnie & Clyde fame, makes a "cameo" in this movie. Just watch this movie and been amazed at one fascinating family!
Rating: 
Summary: Awful - I was hoping they would all get killed!
Review: I never write reviews, despite the fact that I see about 200 movies/year. However, the high rating here just shocked me into a response. I walked out of this movie after an unbearable hour. The acting is bad. The plot is underdeveloped. The characters are not the least bit sympathetic. Awful!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie!
Review: I saw this in the theater and thought it was great, but no one else I knew had seen it. Then I saw it on DVD and bought it quickly. It was just as good as I remembered. This is a "gangster" movie without gangsters. No one gets killed or tortured graphically. It's a real life story of depression era brothers trying to get some cash and having some adventures along the way. I think Hawke puts in one of his best performances ever. Dwight Yoakam also contributes some good acting, especially when compared to his fabulous "Sling Blade" villan. The only flaw is the length. The movie drags a little after a while, but it still manages to make you care enough about the characters to see it through to the end. The final credits featuring Willis and Joe Newton at the end of their lives make the film worth owning. It's one of the most clever ways to make the credits worth watching I've seen. Give this movie a chance. It's well acted and is aesthetically pleasing to watch. Plus it's really low cost!
Rating:
Summary: Good Film Overlooked By Most
Review: I saw this in the theater and thought it was great, but no one else I knew had seen it. Then I saw it on DVD and bought it quickly. It was just as good as I remembered. This is a "gangster" movie without gangsters. No one gets killed or tortured graphically. It's a real life story of depression era brothers trying to get some cash and having some adventures along the way. I think Hawke puts in one of his best performances ever. Dwight Yoakam also contributes some good acting, especially when compared to his fabulous "Sling Blade" villan. The only flaw is the length. The movie drags a little after a while, but it still manages to make you care enough about the characters to see it through to the end. The final credits featuring Willis and Joe Newton at the end of their lives make the film worth owning. It's one of the most clever ways to make the credits worth watching I've seen. Give this movie a chance. It's well acted and is aesthetically pleasing to watch. Plus it's really low cost!
Rating:
Summary: Good Film Overlooked By Most
Review: I saw this in the theater and thought it was great, but no one else I knew had seen it. Then I saw it on DVD and bought it quickly. It was just as good as I remembered. This is a "gangster" movie without gangsters. No one gets killed or tortured graphically. It's a real life story of depression era brothers trying to get some cash and having some adventures along the way. I think Hawke puts in one of his best performances ever. Dwight Yoakam also contributes some good acting, especially when compared to his fabulous "Sling Blade" villan. The only flaw is the length. The movie drags a little after a while, but it still manages to make you care enough about the characters to see it through to the end. The final credits featuring Willis and Joe Newton at the end of their lives make the film worth owning. It's one of the most clever ways to make the credits worth watching I've seen. Give this movie a chance. It's well acted and is aesthetically pleasing to watch. Plus it's really low cost!
Rating:
Summary: Nicely Done
Review: I thought this film was great both times I saw it (once on video and then four days ago on TV). The general plot is that four brothers become bank robbers and are successful in many of their endeavors, but when they try to pull off the greatest robbery in history, somehow a couple things don't go as planned and it lands them in hot water. Matthew McGonaughey is perfect in his role as Willis Newton, and the rest of the cast is good as the other three brothers-Jess, Joe, and Dock- and the various people who are in league with The Newtons (especially Juliana Marguiles as Louise). In short, see this movie. You're bound to like it, and even though it has lots of action, it moves so lightheartedly that it kind of relaxes you too but also keeps your attention. P.S. When I watched this on TV July 12, the network periodically showed commercials for the new John Stamos show, Thieves, which is also coincidentally about robbers, so I think I got a fuller experience the second time around.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Film!
Review: I thouht that this movie was a delight to watch. Not only does it do quite a job presenting what it was like in the 20's, it also showed a (what I thought was a hearfelt story) of how brothers stick together. The Newton Boys (Willis, Dock, Jess, and Joe) go through years of robbing banks, until they're caught after robbing a train. Without giving away any of the plot, all I can say is that the Newton Boys bring you through a whole bunch of interesting and entertaining ordeals that will leave you feeling satisfied with the movie.
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