American Outlaws (2001)

American Outlaws (2001): Dir: Les Mayfield / Cast: Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, Kathy Bates, Ali Larter, Timothy Dalton: With the look of a western and feel of Degrassi High with outlaw characters living in America. Opens with one of many boring shootouts and introduces Colin Farrell as Jesse James who leads robbery sprees after his mother and farm are torched. Scott Caan plays his equally pig-headed cousin. Government seeks their land so a violent climax should surprise no one. Director Les Mayfield previously made such trash as Flubber and Blue Streak and this certainly hasn't improved him. Farrell and Caan have a disagreement and split but unfortunately they find their way not only back to each other, but also back to the set. They engage in gun fights like every two minutes. Kathy Bates is particularly disturbing using Christianity to advocate death. Ali Larter plays that brainless romantic interest to Farrell who will do nothing more than look pretty while they're out fighting their cause. Timothy Dalton plays the nasty villain forcing everyone off their land. He should be forcing everyone off the set of this film. This is easily one of the worst excuses for a western ever made. Everything looks either phoney or has been done countless times in far better westerns. There is no real reason to see it other than to witness bad filmmaking. It is pointless garbage that should be shot to pieces. Score: 0 / 10

... Im gonna make this short. If historical inaccuracy and bad accents bother you than you will probably hate this movie. Those of us who don't have a stick up our tush, however, can enjoy a fun action flick. This is a romanticized fictional story about Jessie James and his war personal war on the railroad.This isn't like the dark and gritty westerns that all the liberal critics rave about. This wont leave you walking way considering jumping off a bridge because your so disgusted or depressed. It's a fun and exciting action movie.In reality I'd probably only give it 6 or 7 stars but I wanted to offset the 1 star reviews as much as possible.

First off I don't care if this movie doesn't represent Jesse James, or the real Jesse James at least it was the most entertaining western to come along since Tombstone. The soundtrack was great, the actors were amazingly awesome! And the humor made my day. What makes me sad is when people expect a history lesson from a movie, thats not why I go see a movie. American Outlaws is on my top five list ranking number 1 or 2 thats how good this movie was. The director did an awesome job there was so much action and just enough drama. A must see for sure, if any reviews give a bad rating because it was not the real Jesse James get over it it wasn't on the History Channel! Sorry its just I read a post that someone got angry over it not representing the real Jesse James, I actually signed up just to defend the movie. Its a really good movie and worth renting for a couple of days was one of those kind of movies that when ever there was a sale of movies I was always looking for it. : ) MUST SEE!!!

This is fun and never a "Western" in exactly the same way as "Butch Cassidy" was fun and never a "Western".Moby's music is just as anachronistic as Burt Bacharach's."American Outlaws" presents Jesse James as a "Dark Knight"if you like,a Batman but without the brooding self - pity,a superhero with a sense of fun,immortal yet vulnerable.In all likelihood of course,Mr James was a grungy amoral killer but Mr Colin Farrel plays him like a guy in a Calvin Klein ad.And do you know what?It doesn't matter.From the opening sequence when the nascent James/ Younger gang destroy half the Union Army it is plain that this is not a movie that takes itself seriously. I have never seen so many bleached teeth outside of a California Teen movie,Mr Ronny Cox as the inevitable "Doc" is particularly well - endowed in that department,although Miss Ali Larter as his daughter and Jesse's squeeze runs him close.But it's easy to be picky. There's a lot of shootin' but very little killin',much stylised balletic action and a brilliantly bad performance from Mr Timothy Dalton as the founder of the Pinkerton Detective Agency whom I believe to have been of Scottish extraction,and Mr Dalton does what I can only assume to be his level best to reflect that fact. "American Outlaws" is great entertainment in a Mouseketeer kind of way and only the grumpiest of purists will begrudge it.