Where to watch American Outlaws
2 Stars
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.
American Outlaws contains so many rushed scenes smashed together that it surely was trimmed down from a much larger cut. The poster advertising Colin Farrell and Scott Caan as a ‘Butch & Sundance’ for 2000s audiences is accurate to an extent, and both are ok in their roles, but Gabriel Machiavellian as Frank James is magnetic and gives the only believable performance. It becomes frustrating when the story stops to highlight a banal love story between Farrell and Ali Larter.
Terry O’Quinn, Harris Yulin, and Timothy Dalton form the villainous trio our young guns must confront. The three veterans face off, and, from an acting standpoint, outmatch their youthful counterparts in the brief scenes where the James and Younger siblings confront the villains and their henchmen. Watch for OSCAR winner Kathy Bates in arguably the worst ‘dying proclamation’ scene of all time. Could that really have been the best take? Much time and energy went into American Outlaws, but despite some striking shots, the result is bland, truncated, and juvenile.
Directed by: Les Mayfield
Written by: Roderick Taylor, John Rogers
Starring: Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, Ali Larter