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:

jesse james | jesse james character | jesse james gang | reference to jesse james | frank james | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes the wrong side of the law is the right place to be.

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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:

Dripping Springs, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,855,475, 19 August 2001, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$13,264,986, 21 October 2001

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,601,109, 31 December 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Out of sixty-five days of shooting, forty-five were in temperatures of over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (thirty-eight degrees Celsius).

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Goofs

Frank James is seen throughout the film using a Henry 1860 rifle. In closeup shots, such as when he is sniping the Gatling gun crew, the inscription, "Cal. 44-40" can be read on the barrel. Modern Henry rifle reproductions are available in this caliber, but not original Henrys, which were chambered in .44 RF.

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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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Alternate Versions

On the American release DVD there are 2 scenes that were cut from the original movie. One is a fight between Jesse and Frank at a bar. The other is Jesse "paying" for a girl for Jim Younger.

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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
Performed by Moby
Written by Richard Hall (Moby), Joe Lee and Alan Lomax
Used by permission of Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
obo itself, The Little Idiot Music & Unichappell Music Inc.
Courtesy of V2 Records, Inc./Mute Ltd.

User Reviews

A fun, fantasy, light hearted movie about Jesse James!

You know, it makes me laugh when I read other people's negative reviews on this movie. Yeah, this movie is riddled with historical inaccuracies and all the outlaws are so darn young and good looking, but hey, that's not the point. I don't think this movie was meant to be a serious study about Frank and Jesse James. This movie was made strictly to entertain and to make people laugh.

One already knows from the first five minutes into the movie that this is a comedy/action movie. I enjoyed it for what it was, mindless entertainment! Yeah, Colin Farrell is HOT! As a matter of fact, the rest of the outlaws are all very young and cute. Even if the females audience do not care much for the plot or for the cartoon violence, I'm sure they would get some visceral thrill out of seeing all these good looking young guys together on the screen. The male audience will enjoy the humor and the fight scenes and big explosions and Ali Larter, the pretty blonde actress that plays Zee. Ali Larter reminds me of the models in the old 1970s' shampoo commercials, all shiny blonde hair and big smiles.

This movie was fun to watch from beginning to end. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a fun action comedy.

By the way, now that the DVD is out, I hope everyone catches the deleted scenes from the movie. They are very good. It's a shame these scenes were not included into the movie, they would've showed a little more depth to the characters of Frank and Jesse James.