The Long Riders (1980)

The origins, exploits and the ultimate fate of the Jesse James gang is told in a sympathetic portrayal of the bank robbers made up of brothers who begin their legendary bank raids because of revenge.

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

Bill Bryden, Steven Smith (as Steven Phillip Smith)

Stars:

David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Dennis Quaid

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Carradine	...	Cole Younger
Keith Carradine	...	Jim Younger
Robert Carradine	...	Bob Younger
James Keach	...	Jesse James
Stacy Keach	...	Frank James
Dennis Quaid	...	Ed Miller
Randy Quaid	...	Clell Miller
Kevin Brophy	...	John Younger
Harry Carey Jr.	...	George Arthur
Christopher Guest	...	Charlie Ford
Nicholas Guest	...	Bob Ford
Shelby Leverington	...	Annie Ralston
Felice Orlandi	...	Mr. Reddick
Pamela Reed	...	Belle Starr
James Remar	...	Sam Starr

Storyline

After the American Civil War, outlaw Jesse James forms a gang comprised of himself, his brother Frank James, Cole Younger and his two brothers, Jim Younger and Bob Younger as well as Ed Miller and his brother Clell Miller. The gang is led by Jesse James and Cole Younger. The gang starts by robbing small banks and stagecoaches in the Midwest and in their home state of Missouri. Later, the gang targets bigger prizes, such as larger banks and trains. This criminal activity attracts the attention of the railroad company owners who hire the Pinkerton Detective Agency to capture the gang. When the gang kills a few Pinkerton detectives, a war of sorts starts between the Pinkerton Agency and the James-Younger gang. Sometimes caught in the middle of it are innocent civilians. In 1876, the gang is running out of banks to rob in Missouri and decides to raid a supposedly fat bank, far up North, in the state of Minnesota. But the Pinkerton Detective Agency is setting up a trap there.

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Plot Keywords:

bank | revenge | breasts | famous score | last man standing | 

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Taglines:

"All the world likes an outlaw. For some damn reason they remember 'em." - Jesse James

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Western

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Swedish

Release Date:

16 May 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bandit Kings

Filming Locations:

Texas State Railroad, Rusk, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,351,112, 18 May 1980

Gross USA:

$15,795,189

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,795,189

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists, Huka Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Carradine brothers' father John Carradine previously played Robert Ford in two films.

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Goofs

When the brothers are making their escape after Northfield Bank robbery, Cole Younger (David Carradine) is shot in the leg. You can see the detonator for the detonator in his right hand and the wire going down his sleeve (1:39:40).

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Quotes

Cole Younger: [Cole Younger and Sam Starr are about to fight over Belle] Well... I'm glad I caught you in a good mood.

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Alternate Versions

UK video and DVD versions were cut by 4 secs by the BBFC to edit a horse-fall. Although the BBFC's website states that the 1986 video version was cut by 1 minute 35 secs, this seems to be erroneous.

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Connections

Referenced in The Big Box: A Christmas Story (2010)

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Soundtracks

The Girl I Left Behind Me
(uncredited)
Traditional
Performed by Keith Carradine (vocal) and Robert Carradine (Jew's harp)

User Reviews

'The Long Riders' is a strong contender for the most underrated western of all time.

Walter Hill is surely one of the most underrated American directors of all time. His output since the popular success of '48 Hours' has been variable to say the least, but his run of 'The Driver', 'The Warriors', 'The Long Riders' and 'Southern Comfort' is difficult to beat. Each of those four movies is an overlooked classic, especially 'The Long Riders', which is a strong contender for the most underrated western of all time. The idea of casting real life brothers David, Keith and Robert Carradine and Stacy and James Keach (as well as Randy and Dennis Quaid and Christopher and Nicholas Guest) was an inspired one and really helps make this something special. Stacy Keach (as Frank James) and David Carradine (as Cole Younger) give the two stand out performances. Both of them are superb. David Carradine is finally getting some attention since working with Tarantino on 'Kill Bill'. His career has spanned forty years, and over 120 movies, working with everyone from Martin Scorsese to Ingmar Bergman to Hal Ashby to Robert Altman to (yes) Fred Olen Ray. He has made many (too many) lousy movies but also several very good ones. This could well be his very best role. Stacy Keach is another actor who has made some dubious career choices over the years (eg 'Mountain Of The Cannibal God', 'Class Of 1999') but when he's good he's not only really good, he's GREAT. Just watch him here and in 'Fat City' and 'The Ninth Configuration' and tell me I'm lying. Keach's brother James plays Jessie James and almost steals the movie. I also enjoyed both the Quaid brothers, and the memorable cameo by James Remar, one of the stars of Hill's cult classic 'The Warriors'. The real surprise for me here was Pamela Reed who plays Belle Starr. She's very sexy and tough and acts well, and she and David Carradine display some genuine chemistry. Their scenes together were my favourite moments in the movie. Why Reed never became a big star is difficult to fathom. I highly recommend 'The Long Riders'. It's a great movie and every Western fan should see it.