Rating: 
Summary: a welcome change
Review: The majority of "action" movies out there, or at least the ones I've seen lately, seem to be no more than excuses to use up fake blood and funeral scenes. This one might have had some gore but guess what- nobody got killed off. It's awesome. There were a few slow parts, I'll admit, but the lightning-quick action scenes and hysterical wisecracks and general goofing around more than made up for it. I may be biased in favor of historical stuff (and movies where all the good guys survive), but I think this is a good pick for just about everybody.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good, but something's missing
Review: The Newton Boys has everything a movie could want: a good cast, good director, an interesting story, etc. So what goes wrong? It's hard to say, but I think the whole does not equal the sum of its parts. Individually, the cast is fine (except for Vincent D'onofrio...wish they had given him more to do) and Richard Linklater has a track record of producing good films. I think the major problem is that Linklater moved away from his usual material to make this film, and while that's not a bad thing, you get the sense that he's slightly over his head making what is, in effect, a major studio film. The other most noticeable problem is that he uses a cast who, for the most part, have never carried a movie on their own. There are a number of really good scenes that capture the time period and the characters well, and I love Julianna Marguiles in anything she does, but I think I might try and track down the book the movie was based on to see if I get more out of it. To echo some of the other reviews, the clips of the original Newtons over the credits were terrific.
Rating:
Summary: LAWBREAKERS
Review: THE NEWTON BOYS is a well done period film, richly and warmly photographed and performed by a talented cast. I still have a problem in "justifying" their robberies. Willis' conclusion that he has been done wrong so he can do wrong too is not a quality I find admirable. Stealing is stealing, and Linklater makes it look perfectly normal to "cheer" these boys on. The fact that this is a true story only adds fire to the fuel of how we make heroes out of bad guys because they were "cute" or they got the "system", etc., etc. Nough about that, though. Matthew McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich and Ethan Hawke are splendid; they needed to give the excellent Vincent D'Onofrio more to do; Julianna Margulies was fascinating as Louise; Luke Askew in a great supporting role as the suspect-beating cop; and Dwight Yoakam as the friend who supplies the nitroglycerin.
The movie is a little long, drags some in the middle, but for a period piece, it's effective...just don't think these guys are heroes. (The end credits with the real Willis and Joe is superb)
Rating:
Summary: LAWBREAKERS
Review: THE NEWTON BOYS is a well done period film, richly and warmly photographed and performed by a talented cast. I still have a problem in "justifying" their robberies. Willis' conclusion that he has been done wrong so he can do wrong too is not a quality I find admirable. Stealing is stealing, and Linklater makes it look perfectly normal to "cheer" these boys on. The fact that this is a true story only adds fire to the fuel of how we make heroes out of bad guys because they were "cute" or they got the "system", etc., etc. Nough about that, though. Matthew McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich and Ethan Hawke are splendid; they needed to give the excellent Vincent D'Onofrio more to do; Julianna Margulies was fascinating as Louise; Luke Askew in a great supporting role as the suspect-beating cop; and Dwight Yoakam as the friend who supplies the nitroglycerin.
The movie is a little long, drags some in the middle, but for a period piece, it's effective...just don't think these guys are heroes. (The end credits with the real Willis and Joe is superb)
Rating:
Summary: LAWBREAKERS
Review: THE NEWTON BOYS is a well done period film, richly and warmly photographed and performed by a talented cast. I still have a problem in "justifying" their robberies. Willis' conclusion that he has been done wrong so he can do wrong too is not a quality I find admirable. Stealing is stealing, and Linklater makes it look perfectly normal to "cheer" these boys on. The fact that this is a true story only adds fire to the fuel of how we make heroes out of bad guys because they were "cute" or they got the "system", etc., etc. Nough about that, though. Matthew McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich and Ethan Hawke are splendid; they needed to give the excellent Vincent D'Onofrio more to do; Julianna Margulies was fascinating as Louise; Luke Askew in a great supporting role as the suspect-beating cop; and Dwight Yoakam as the friend who supplies the nitroglycerin.
The movie is a little long, drags some in the middle, but for a period piece, it's effective...just don't think these guys are heroes. (The end credits with the real Willis and Joe is superb)
Rating:
Summary: I LOVED THE NEWTON BOYS! IT MADE ME CRY!!
Review: The Newton Boys was the best movie ever made, and I've seen it 96 times since it's release last year!!
Rating:
Summary: The best movie ever ! ! !
Review: The Newton Boys was the best movie I had ever seen. I loved how the brothers watched out for each other and worked together. I thought this movie had great casting too. Matthew McConaughey was a perfect Willis Newton. He really showed that he was the leader of the group. Vincent D'Onofrio did a great job at protraying the rough but loveable Dock Newton. Ethan Hawke gave a great performance with his hilarious Jess Newton. I loved all of his wisecracks. And who could forget Skeet Ulrich as Joe Newton. He really did seem so young and innocent. You must see this movie. It really will make you root for the "bad guys". Get the soundtrack too. It's excellent!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Film!
Review: The only reason I rented this movie was because Matthew McConaughey was in it, and I had heard it was one of his best. By the time I had finished watching, I was really glad I had.I've never been a big fan of blood-and-gore-everyone-dies-horribly films, so I was really glad to see that this movie only had the minimal amount of blood, and no deaths. For bankrobbers, thats pretty hard to manage. Willis Newton (Matthew McConaughey) sums up the Newton Brother's "laws" by saying, "There are a lot of things us Newton's do, but there are some we don't do. We don't kill no body, we don't steal from women and children, and we don't rat." I love it--bank robbers with morals! I highly reccomend this to anyone who loves true stories without blood and gore. Those who are big fans of action films, however, probably won't enjoy it very much.
Rating: 
Summary: What is the deal with the high ratings?
Review: This film is a piece of garbage. The storyline is mundane, the characterizations are weak, and the acting is almost non-existant. I figured with such a great cast and director that this film would be great. WRONG! Richard Linklater's earlier films (especially "Dazed and Confused" and "Before Sunrise") impressed me immensely. Do not rent or purchase this movie, and if it comes on cable change the channel. It can induce narcolepsy (instant sleep) and possibly brain damage (it will at least make you feel dumber for spending $3 to rent it).
Rating:
Summary: What is the deal with the high ratings?
Review: This film is a piece of garbage. The storyline is mundane, the characterizations are weak, and the acting is almost non-existant. I figured with such a great cast and director that this film would be great. WRONG! Richard Linklater's earlier films (especially "Dazed and Confused" and "Before Sunrise") impressed me immensely. Do not rent or purchase this movie, and if it comes on cable change the channel. It can induce narcolepsy (instant sleep) and possibly brain damage (it will at least make you feel dumber for spending $3 to rent it).
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