The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972)

Director:

Philip Kaufman

Writer:

Philip Kaufman (writer)

Release Date:

12 May 1972 (Finland)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

The West the way it really was!

Plot:

The gangs of Jesse James and Cole Younger join forces for a bungled robbery of the bank in Northfield, MN. |

Plot Keywords:

Jesse James | Based On Historical Events | Calliope | Outlaw | Brother Brother Relationship

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Cliff Robertson	...	Cole Younger
Robert Duvall	...	Jesse James
Luke Askew	...	Jim Younger
R.G. Armstrong	...	Clell Miller
Dana Elcar	...	Allen
Donald Moffat	...	Manning
John Pearce	...	Frank James
Matt Clark	...	Bob Younger
Wayne Sutherlin	...	Charley Pitts
Robert H. Harris	...	Wilcox
Jack Manning	...	Heywood
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Bunker (as Elisha Cook)
Royal Dano	...	Gustavson
Mary-Robin Redd	...	Kate
William Callaway	...	Calliopist (as Bill Calloway)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1972) | Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Jacksonville, Oregon, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: Even before the wounds of the Civil War had healed in Missouri, the railroads came swarming in to steal the land. Everywhere, men from the railroads were driving poor, defenseless families from their homes. And that's when a fresh wind suddenly began to blow...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Gunfighters of the Old West (1992) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hodie Christus - Natus Est

Robert Duvall shines in this overlooked western

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid is a real good western about the true story of the James-Younger gang's attempted robbery of the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota.

I like this film, but it does have a couple snafus. Firstly, there are a few historical inaccuracies. Many of these inaccuracies aren't really 100% inaccuracies though, they are more like representations of things that we don't know about, such as some of the character's motives. But it's a movie - if one wants to actually learn about raid they should go read about it. However, I can understand how the inaccuracies could be considered as a negative point of the film by someone who has an interest in the era. Then there is a 5-10 minute scene featuring a wild and wacky baseball game that I feel deviates away from the already established serious tone of the film. Also, there are some beautiful shots of the landscape - unfortunately, some of it is not actually of Northfield since mountains tend to be absent from the American Midwest. Perhaps a not-so-noticeable flaw to the average viewer, but to a guy who has lived in Minnesota his entire life (like yours truly), it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Despite all that, this is a good western effort if you ask me. The film has a great deep, dark, and dreary western look and feel, no doubt due to Philip Kaufman's direction and Bruce Surtees's cinematography. I found the script interesting and useful in helping to understand the characters - very worthy of it's Writers Guild of America Award nomination. The sets featured in the film are also great, they really take you back to that time period and the reconstruction of the city Northfield is done with a great deal of justice and accuracy. Also, the actual raid turned out to be a very exciting scene indeed with blazing guns and a great sense of desperation – they couldn't have made the scene any better.

The performances are what really make the film so watchable. Cliff Robertson's performance as Cole Younger is great, portraying him as a very likable guy and also as kind of the brains of the operation. There are also great supporting actors in the film, John Pearce and Wayne Sutherlin giving the most noteworthy performances amongst the group. Robert Duvall's performance is fantastic and completely steals the show with his seemingly channeled portrayal of the infamous outlaw, Jesse James. Duvall shows James' psychotic side wonderfully and puts a lot of intensity into his performance.

Overall, despite some obvious detractors, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid is a real good western and definitely worth a viewing.