American Outlaws (2001)

Director:

Les Mayfield

Writers (WGA):

Roderick Taylor (story)
Roderick Taylor (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 August 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Western

Tagline:

Bad Is Good Again.

Plot:

When a Midwest town learns that a corrupt railroad baron has captured the deeds to their homesteads without their knowledge...

Plot Keywords:

Jesse James | Railroad | Legend | Outlaw | Preacher

Awards:

6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 26

6:15 AM

HBO

Cast

Colin Farrell	...	Jesse James
Scott Caan	...	Cole Younger
Ali Larter	...	Zerelda 'Zee' Mimms
Gabriel Macht	...	Frank James
Gregory Smith	...	Jim Younger
Harris Yulin	...	Thaddeus Rains, President Rock Northern Rail Road
Kathy Bates	...	Ma James
Timothy Dalton	...	Allan Pinkerton
Will McCormack	...	Bob Younger
Ronny Cox	...	Doc Mimms, Zee's Dad
Terry O'Quinn	...	Rollin H. Parker - Rains' Gopher
Nathaniel Arcand	...	Comanche Tom
Ty O'Neal	...	Clell Miller
Joe Stevens	...	Loni Packwood
Barry Tubb	...	Captain Malcolm

Also Known As:

Jesse James (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for western violence.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38028)

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Morgan Creek Productions

Trivia:

Colin Farrell did as many of his own stunts as Les Mayfield would let him do.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Although the primary setting of the story is Missouri, the landscape, which is rolling hills and plateaus of brush prairie, does not exist in Missouri (that state's landscape is made of dense woods, farmlands, and Ozark Mountain ranges), and reveals the movie's true filming location in the Texas Hill Country.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Cole: Gatling! They got a Gatling gun!
Bob: Goddamn it Cole, this stopped bein' fun about two years ago!

Soundtrack:

Find My Baby

Been there, done that...but never quite as bad.

This film was held up for release more than once and now it's apparent why. Dreck!!! This dressed up "B" oater is a sobering reminder of how really well done films used to be. Even the bad ones were better than this. While it aspires to something profound and "hip", the overwrought and corny dialogue, the bombardment of cliches, and the horrid soundtrack and use of current music (Moby in 1865? Puh-lease!!!) make it anything but. The script smacks of something that might have been written for Audie Murphy or Jeffrey Hunter in 1964 and soundly rejected. By comparison "Young Guns" looks like "The Wild Bunch" (Yikes!!!). The filmmakers were apparently trying the "outlaw as rock star" motif but Peckinpah's "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid" set a high water mark that handily drowns these guys. But, like "Billy" in the earlier work, everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, loves Jesse. It's sometimes hard to tell who wants to sleep with him more; his brother Frank, partner Cole Younger, or Zee Mimms, the purty gal he aims tuh marry. But fear not, bible thumpers, ain't no sinnin' goin' on here. Just good old-fashion killin'. The only people sleeping together would be the audience. The bad guys love him, too. They must, because whether it be at point blank range with a pistol, or with a Gatling gun during a Civil War battle , they just can seem to want to hurt this guy. Either that, or they're close to being the worst shots in film history. And woe be to those that do shoot at him 'cause all Jesses's got to do is smile. See him smile and it's a guarantee that these hombres ain't long for this world, by cracky. Remember the smile, folks, it's integral to our hero's save-the-day and "this one's fer Ma" antics. Les is a usually competent director and a nice guy to boot (old classmate o' mine). I hope he can recover from the savaging that the paid critics will give him. If you want to see the James gang saga told in a good movie save your money, stay at home, and checkout "The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid" or "The Long Riders".