Home   Movies   Celebrities   Feedback Search for your favorite Celebrity / Movie

Top Movies Eight Below Date Movie The Pink Panther Curious George Final Destination 3 Firewall Freedomland When a Stranger Calls Big Momma's House 2 Nanny McPhee New Releases Curious George Final Destination 3 Firewall The Pink Panther Date Movie Eight Below Freedomland Something New Failure to Launch When a Stranger Calls Top Celebs Reese Witherspoon Brad Pitt Paris Hilton Mariah Carey Lindsay Lohan Scarlett Johansson Phil Collins Britney Spears Angelina Jolie Jodie Marsh	American Outlaws  Release Date - August 17, 2001  Distributor - Warner Brothers  Duration - 112 Mins  Type - Action/Adventure and Western. ( Rated PG-13 )  Writer : Roderick Taylor and John Rogers.  Producer : James G Robinson and Bill Gerber.  Director : Les Mayfield.  Starring : Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, Ali Larter, Gabriel Macht and Gregory Smith.  Synopsis 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.  Critic Reviews "American Outlaws," Jesse James (played by Colin Farrell) gets the ol' Hollywood spit polish, which fails to cover up those inconvenient blemishes called "facts." Executive producer Jonathan Zimbert is quoted in the movie's press kit as saying, "The James Gang is kind of like a rock-and-roll band out on the road on their first tour together." As if touring rock bands committed murder, robbed banks and married their first cousins (which, admittedly, in this celebrity-as-untouchable climate would hardly be surprising). The film begins with a "war is fun" tone, as Jesse and his brother Frank (Gabriel Macht) find themselves caught in a gun battle with Union troops at the end of the Civil War. They are joined by the Younger brothers (Scott Caan and Will McCormack), who later round out their bank-robbing gang. When sharpshooter Frank needs a distraction to take out the operators of a cannon and Gatling gun, Jesse rides his horse into the Yankee line -- guns blazing -- with a smirk plastered on his face. The real James and Younger brothers did indeed fight in the Civil War, joining the guerrilla fighters in William Clarke Quantrill's Raiders. Jesse was taken under the wing of raider William "Bloody Bill" Anderson, a sadistic outlaw of countless wartime atrocities -- which most likely primed James for his gang's 20-plus murders. The bodies left in the wake of the James-Younger Gang included innocent bystanders and children, but how does "American Outlaws" address this? With an offhand remark by Jesse that fewer folks would get shot if they'd simply hand over the money. Unlike director Walter Hill's "The Long Riders," which portrays James' band as restless war vets who are unable or unwilling to adapt to civilian life, "American Outlaws" wants to glorify instead of understand James and his men. Farrell's toothy grin can't wash away Jesse's crimes, and the empty script relentlessly casts him as a one-dimensional, gun-happy, lovesick iconoclast. A romance between Jesse and Zee Mimms (Ali Larter) gets shoehorned in, although the fact that she is his first cousin is glossed over. Kathy Bates slums it as the Jameses' mother, whose death they must avenge when the railroad barons burn down their house for the land. (Fact: Zerelda James outlived her son Jesse.) Had "American Outlaws" chosen to discard the James name, it could have succeeded as a mildly entertaining modern Western. Jesse's daring escape from a prison cell in a train is flashy and fun, and as Jesse's Shakespeare-quoting brother Frank, Macht delivers a memorably charismatic performance. Timothy Dalton shows up with Sean Connery's accent to play law-bending detective Alan Pinkerton, and director Les Mayfield ("Blue Streak") just points the camera in this low-rent "Young Guns" as if he's killing time between Martin Lawrence pictures. Not only does "American Outlaws" distort history, but the filmmakers have created a dull, one-dimensional pop icon out of James' complex character and legend.   For rating reasons : filmrating.com, mpaa.com                                    For Parents : Parentalguide.com
Home | Movies | Celebrities | Feedback Copyright © 2005 StarGlimpse.com. All Rights Reserved.