American Outlaws

At the end of the film, Jesse and Zerelda go to Tennessee, leading the audience to believe they lived happily ever after in peace. Except-the Frank and Younger brothers continued their robberies until the ill-fated Northfield, Minnesota robbery on September 7, 1876. There, the citizens of Northfield rose up and fought the gang as they tried to rob the town's First National Bank. Robbers Clell Miller and Bill Chadwell were killed and every other member was wounded, including Jesse. A pursuit followed. The gang decided to split up with the Frank brothers escaping. The others were later found in a swamp by a posse. A shootout followed and robber Charlie Pitts was killed. The Younger brothers all surrendered. They were all sentenced to life in prison for their crimes. Frank James later surrendered, was tried, and acquitted of several crimes-including the Northfield robbery. He lived the rest of his life in Oklahoma. Jesse continued his robberies by joining another gang until he was shot in the back of the head by gang-member Robert Ford in 1882. Ford was promised a reward if he killed Jesse but instead of being rewarded, Ford was charged and pleaded guilty to first-degree-murder. He was quickly pardoned.

Throughout the film, Frank James is seen carrying out impressive long-range trick-shots with his Henry rifle. In actuality, one of the downsides of the Henry rifle was its dismal accuracy, as well as its short range compared to the more widely available rifle-muskets. Even modern reproductions are not recommended for hitting man-sized targets past 200 yards.

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.

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