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American Outlaws

American Outlaws

List Price: $14.97
Your Price: $11.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: American Outlaws
Review: Honestly, you people are not giving it enough credit that it deserves. I mean the first time that i saw it I was home alone watching HBO. It was only a few minutes into it so I got a pretty good idea of what it was about. This is supposed to be a historical fiction, duh. Which if you're not smart enough to know what it means and think that it means that everything in it is accurate and totally true you're wrong. It means that some things are true and some aren't. So ofcourse there was a gang called "The James Younger Gang". Of course the director isn't going to use the actual names so that means that they're going to change it around a bit and same with the movie. All the actors in it are great. The only thing that doesn't make it that realistic is the teeth. I mean it was a great movie but come on! If this is back in the 1800's how did they keep their teeth so white? But all the actors did a great job. Colin Farrel did an excellent job. And as always Gregory Smith was very cute and hot in this movie. This movie has a mix of all types, except horror really unless you think hanging people is considered horror, but not for this kind of movie. When I was watching it I was so into it that I didn't move the entire time. And when is came down to the crying parts I was crying before I knew what would happen next. On the DVD the behind the scenes are very interesting to watch also. And the commentary explains a lot about the movie. And why some things are the way their supposed to be for those of you who were to blind to see that it's supposed to be historical fiction which i may add once more means that things aren't always going to be accurate. But all and all this was a great action movie and extremely funny. The directors did an excellent job of casting he actors in it. Hope this helped!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Guns, guys and horses!
Review: Ok, if you want something historically accurate this film is not for you. But its not supposed to be accurate; its supposed to entertain , and boy, it does just that!
Right from the starting scene in a civil war battlefield and on to the end, the thrills never stop. It'll have you sitting on the edge of your chair or jumping up and down in excitement all the way through!
Farrell is an excellant Jesse (and very handsome too!), set off well by Scott Caan's equally brilliant Cole Younger. When Frank and Jesse James Return to Liberty, Missouri after the civil war, they find things greatly changed. The railroad is heading West and it needs their land. Jesse and Frank refuse to sell and create a spread of rebellion throughout their village. After seeing their Ma brutally murdered by the railroad men, the James brothers join forces with the Youngers and begin careers as outlaws in order to stop the railroad's advance.
The film does have a slightly romantic edge in the form of Zie, Jesse's beautiful fiancee (Ali Larter).
American Outlaws is equal to Pirates of the Caribbean for excitement, yet being shorter it doesn't even drag in the slightest. Infact, its only fault has to be that it lacks a Jack Sparrow, but with Bob Younger's wisecracks you scarcely notice it.
If, like me, you lost your heart to the West long ago you'd be a fool to miss this film. Even if you ain't lost your heart to nobody, you'd still be a fool.
So cowboys, saddle up; Let's Ride!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Shameless yet entertaining glorification of outlaws.
Review: If you want an absolute shameless glorification of Jesse James, his brother and associates with some great action sequences thrown in then this is for you. To me it's a bit silly and is pretty 'hollywooded' up but it is entertaining for what it is. The music is really awful in a couple spots but overall it has a pretty good soundtrack. If you just want to dismiss reality and watch some shooting and explosions for awhile then this is it ;)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: No Problem With the History...
Review: The ghost of John Newman Edwards must have had a hand in writing the script. The movie is pure legend, with not a shred of history allowed to intrude. I liked it. It worked because they didn't try to play it too seriously. This was the flaw in the Rob Lowe/Bill Paxton movie "Frank and Jesse"--they tried to make us take their hopeless mangling of history seriously.

"American Outlaws" played it for fun, adventure, and legend. It covers only a single year time span during which time they seem to have robbed every bank in Missouri. Busy boys. The gang was also a sensitive, nurturing gang to the lesser-known members (funny scene).

I can't possibly list all the diversions from actual history they made as they barely ever drifted even close to reality. Cole Younger would have hated the movie--they had him portrayed as the dumb guy. Frank was the smart one, and Jesse, of course, was the cute, dangerous one. The Irish guy who played Jesse did a good job. He didn't sound like he was trying to overcome an Irish accent, did a good, flat American, but he didn't really sound like anyone from Missouri either. He almost miraculously managed to always have that ever-so-manly two-day growth of beard ala Miami Vice.

The setting was the film's biggest weakness--it looked much more like California than Missouri. Way too brown and dry, wrong kinds of trees. The town of Liberty looked like a generic Hollywood western town set, not at all right.

So, I recommend "American Outlaws" as a fun action movie, _not_ as history. They did use the perils to returning Rebels pretty well at first but soon lost that to the whole purely fictional railroad plotline. Don't expect anything like "Ride With the Devil" out of this (though there is a nifty battle scene at the beginning).

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I Remembered "Bad Girls"; Just Guns and Explosions
Review: Jesse Woodson James, one of the titular "outlaws," is taken up again as the hero of another Western movie, with Colin Farrell. (If you are interested in other Jesse James film, see "The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid.) After the Civil War, Jesse, his brother Frank (Gabriel Macht) and Cole Younger (Scott Caan) formed a group to attack the railroad company which, according to the film, relentlessly buys up the land of the farmers (two dollars for one acre). Some say Jesse and Cole are American heroes.

The film is right in giving us simple settting, ignoring some historical truths; but the film also ignores our reaction to countless actions that lead us nowhere in particular, like the script of 1994 Drew Barrymore film "Bad Girls." (Well, the poster was good.) The railroad company led by Harris Yulin and Terry O'Quinn is jsut a bunch of risible, one-dimentional, old-fashioned villains who are there to be despised. Even Timothy Dalton who plays Allan Pinkerton looks theatrical, not because of his acting, but because of the character's illogical response. You expect from Pinkerton some smart scheme to catch the group. No. His 'plan' is little better than the one found in hackneyed TV episode of some detective drama.

But what is most disappointing is the acting of the cast. Collin Farrell doesn't seem to be interested in the role, nor other actors except very few (I mean hot shot Gregory Smith and humorous Will McCormack). You cannot distinguish one from another, and if one of them is gunned down, it is shown in a most balnd way so that we don't care. Probably that has something to do with the hot climate of Texas where the film was shot. But in "Tigerland" in which humid air is easily felt, Colin Farrell was fantastic. Here he is not.

Two actresses appear: Ali Larter as Jesse's love Zee Mimms (who really married Jesse), and Kathy Bates as Jesse's mother (who really didn't meet the same fate as the film shows). And I don't know why they should be here, giving awful dialogues, doing just unmemorable roles. And you know it's Kathy Bates; it is amazing that she is unmemorable and gives awful dialogues.

What you see in this movie is just another fast-paced, action-packed Hollywood movie about guns and explosions. The film never stops, thanks to the director Les Mayfield ("Flubber" and "Blue Streak"), and like these films he doesn't show any originality. Not a good entertainment, this film doesn't serve as a text for learning history either.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Fun Movie with a great Cast!!!
Review: Yes, I have heard that "American Outlaws" isn't always historically accurate! But you know what? Who cares? It's a terrific movie, that takes you on a wild and hilarious ride with Jesse James and his gang. All the actors are well-cast and did a great job portraying their characters, although - in my mind - Colin Farrell (the next big thing!) and Ali Larter (Hollywood's most underrated actress) do stand out among the others! If you are looking for a history lesson - go to the library. But if you are looking for a fun movie with lots of action, a great cast, good script, a bit of romance, and some truly unforgettable moments, then don't miss out on "American Outlaws"!!! It's become one of my all-time favorite movies! Plus, the DVD has really great bonus features ... trailers, tv spots, photo galleries, DVD Rom features, and 4 great featurettes - check out "How to be an Outlaw" for some nice shots of the guys in cowboy camp ... showing off their muscles during what would later be know as the hottest summer in Texas' history :o)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: BY FAR THE WORST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN
Review: This movie is the one that should'nt have been made. No it's not historically accurate, But that's not the big problem(I liked the "Young Guns" movies)The problem with this move is it's just a really bad movie I could'nt even bare to watch the whole thing it truely sucked!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The South might've won...
Review: I liked the movie American Outlaws. Even though hollywood took its creative liberties or whatever you want to call it with the historical facts, it still was an awesome movie! The Younger farm was in Lee's Summit, MO and the James farm was in Kearney, MO definitely more than a days ride by horse between the two. Other than that it is a story told by the southerners and southern sympathizers from the north. This is definitely the story we didn't hear in the yankee schools of the north. If you're looking for a cool western with the look and feel of the civil war and young america in missouri, then this is for you. My favorite was Gabriel Macht, who portrayed Frank James. All the characters played well off of each other but his character held the gang together he was the intelligent calm voice of reason. So enjoy this is a funny dramatic western all rolled up into one!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: COLIN GOES WEST
Review: The incredibly gifted Colin Farrell once again pulls a good one: an Irishman playing Jesse James. But give the guy credit: he does a very good job, although not up to par to some of his other work (Recruit, Hart's War, Tigerland). Obviously not a fact-based work, AMERICAN OUTLAWS, under the astute direction of Les Mayfield, nonetheless is an entertaining western, filled with anachronistic dialogue and music, but also filled with heart, humor and adventure in mind. In this version, Jesse and his brother Frank (well envisioned by Gabriel Macht) and his cousins, the Youngers (Scott Caan, Will McCormack and Gregory Smith) are fighting in the Civil War where we get to see Frank's expert shooting and Jesse's wildass courage and outright idiocy! The war is now over so everyone returns home to find that the railroad companies are forcing farmers to sell them their land. Kathy Bates in a brief but memorable turn plays the James mother, and when she is killed by Pinkerton detectives, the boys take matters into their own.
Wayfield plays the gang as a Robin Hood, with typical jealousy on the part of Caan's Cole Younger. Timothy Dalton as Pinkerton seems James Bondish in his delivery and Harris Yulin pumps up the ham to play the dastardly railroad owner.
All in all, the film is as entertaining as it needs to be and even though Jesse and gang are almost beatified, they still have a little of that bad boy in them to make it believable, even though it's not!!!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: BY FAR THE WORST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN
Review: This movie is the one that should'nt have been made. No it's not historically accurate, But that's not the big problem(I liked the "Young Guns" movies)The problem with this move is it's just a really bad movie I could'nt even bare to watch the whole thing it truely sucked!!


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