American Outlaws (DVD)

...the story of the legendary American outlaw Jesse James.
Colin Farrell, the 27-year-old Dubliner who is currently one of the golden-eyed boys of the silver screen plays the lead role, supported by ex-James Bond star Timothy Dalton as Allan Pinkerton, the founder and head of the famous (infamous?) Pinkerton detective agency.

~ ~ The story has been told a thousand times. The James's boys, Jesse and his brother Frank (Gabriel Macht) ...
...the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Waiting for them is mom, (Kathy Bates) their zealously religious mother, who has a disconcerting habit of 'talking to Jesus', before pulling out a double-barrelled shotgun to emphasis her point!
The lads settle down to life on the farm, and Jesse begins to court Zee Mimms (Ali Larter), the town doctor's daughter.
Life is looking rosy, until the bad guys arrive on the scene in the form ... more

~ ~ I've always enjoyed a good Western, but there seems to have been a dearth of them in the cinema just recently. Strange really, because it's only a decade since the superb "Unforgiven" (1992) literally swept the boards at the 1993 Oscars, winning the best actor, (Clint Eastwood) best film, and best director awards. (Clint Eastwood again!).
Maybe none of the current crop of Hollywood directors thought they could improve on what is without a doubt one of the best Western's ever made.
But whatever the reason, there hasn't really been what I would class a good western movie in the past ten years or so.

~ ~ Let me make it clear right from the outset that the movie I'm reviewing here, "American Outlaws", (2001) is not the film that's going to instigate a revival in the western genre in Hollywood.
It's simply too full of flaws, and with a hackneyed plot and stereotypical acting, to ever be classed as a masterpiece.
Despite the best attentions of Director Les Mayfield, and the derring-do exploits of two of the leading actors, (Colin Farrell and Timothy Dalton) the film never succeeds in rising above the mediocre.
It's not even a movie that I went out of my way to view in the cinema or on DVD, instead stumbling across it by accident when 'channel hopping' through Sky Movies one evening.

~ ~ So what's 'American Outlaws' about?
Basically it's a remake (or rehash) of the story of the legendary American outlaw Jesse James.
Colin Farrell, the 27-year-old Dubliner who is currently one of the golden-eyed boys of the silver screen plays the lead role, supported by ex-James Bond star Timothy Dalton as Allan Pinkerton, the founder and head of the famous (infamous?) Pinkerton detective agency.

~ ~ The story has been told a thousand times. The James's boys, Jesse and his brother Frank (Gabriel Macht) head home to Missouri and the family ranch, after a glorious (if unsuccessful) stint in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Waiting for them is mom, (Kathy Bates) their zealously religious mother, who has a disconcerting habit of 'talking to Jesus', before pulling out a double-barrelled shotgun to emphasis her point!
The lads settle down to life on the farm, and Jesse begins to court Zee Mimms (Ali Larter), the town doctor's daughter.
Life is looking rosy, until the bad guys arrive on the scene in the form of the railroad, who've sneakily bought up the rights to lay their track right through the rich farmland at a price that wouldn't pay for a good night out on the town!
In order to emphasise the seriousness of their intentions, they've brought along Allan Pinkerton and his team of gun-wielding detectives, to ensure they don't run into any opposition from the local yokels.

~ ~ As you might guess, the James gang aren't overly keen on this plan.
One of their cousins, Cole Younger, (Scott Caan) is sentenced to hang when he decides to kill a few of the railroad men when they come calling at his ranch.
All hell then breaks loose, as the James lads and the Younger brothers ride into town on the morning of the hanging to free their "innocent" cousin, shooting dead countless railroad men and Pinkertons in the process.
They then take to the hills, and embark on a virtual orgy of bank robberies and railroad heists in order to hurt the railroad where it hurts most. In the pocket!

~ ~ That's the storyline in a nutshell.
I'm no student of early American history, but even to my non-expert eye, it's fairly obvious that the Director and Producer of this movie have made no concession to historical accuracy. Instead they've simply invented a plot to suit their own purposes. Namely to provide a vehicle to fully exploit the many all-action stunts that proliferate the movie.
In truth, the stunts are superb, with dynamite being liberally used throughout to provide the requisite "crash, bang, and wallop".
But to try to pass Jesse James off as some sort of all-American Robin Hood is stretching credibility just a little!

~ ~ Colin Farrell plays his part of the young Jesse James with style and aplomb, and it is easily seen why he is an actor in such demand, because even in a movie with such a weak script as this, his acting ability shines through.
He is (almost) upstaged by an excellent Timothy Dalton, who revels in his role as the wicked Allan Pinkerton, complete with a strong Scottish accent. (Not bad for an actor born and bred in Wales!)

~ ~ American Outlaws isn't a movie that is going to rank high on the CV of either the actors involved or the Director, and it was never likely to be nominated for any major awards or Oscars.
But as long as you leave your sense of reality behind when you are viewing it, it's a competent enough adventure yarn, with plenty of vivid action sequences to keep you interested.
Don't go out of your way to watch it. But if you happen to come across it in the TV listings some evening when you've nothing better to do, then it's an acceptable enough way to while away about 90 minutes of your time.

Three stars out of five from the mad cabbie.

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American Outlaws (2001)

Director: Les Mayfield

Main Stars; Colin Farrell (Jesse James)

Timothy Dalton: Allan Pinkerton

Certified '12' in the UK

Running Time: 94 minutes

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Copyright KenJ November 2003

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