American Outlaws (2001)

When a Midwest town learns that a corrupt railroad baron has captured the deeds to their homesteads without their knowledge, a group of young ranchers join forces to take back what is ... See full summary »

Director:

Les Mayfield

Writers:

Roderick Taylor (story), Roderick Taylor (screenplay),

Stars:

Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, Ali Larter

7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

When a Midwest town learns that a corrupt railroad baron has captured the deeds to their homesteads without their knowledge, a group of young ranchers join forces to take back what is rightfully theirs. In the course of their vendetta, they will become the object of the biggest manhunt in the history of the Old West and, as their fame grows, so will the legend of their leader, a young outlaw by the name of Jesse James.

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Plot Keywords:

legend | old west | railroad | outlaw | explosion | 

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Taglines:

Bad Is Good Again.

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Genres:

Action | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for western violence

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jesse James

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$4,855,475 (USA) (17 August 2001)

Gross:

$13,264,986 (USA) (19 October 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie, Jim Younger is portrayed as being younger in age than Bob Younger. In reality, it was the reverse.

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Goofs

When Jesse first exits the train cart through the door, a shot is fired at him, shattering the adjacent door's window. In the next shot, the window only has a single bullet hole in it.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Find My Baby"
Written by Moby (as Richard Hall)
Performed by Moby
Courtesy of V2 Records, Inc./Mute Ltd.
Features samples from the Bay Blue recording "Joe Lee's Rock"
Produced under license from Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

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".