Directed by Walter Hill (The Warriors, 48 Hours)
The story of the James/Younger gang utilizing real brothers David, Keith, and Robert Carradine as the Youngers, Stacy and James Keach as the James's, Dennis and Randy Quaid as the Millers. They even have Nicholas and Christopher Guest as Bob and Charlie Ford.
The movie is made up of several vignettes depicting the lives of the outlaws. It doesn't really try make them out as misunderstood or good, but it does depict the over reaction of the Pinkerton men, which made the gang into folk heroes in the area they were from.
It ends with the infamous Norhtfield, Minnesota bank robbery, which was really a setup by the Pinkertons. Hard to believe that they would allow the railroad to have their own version of the Gestapo.
Of course they also have the dastardly Bob Ford shooting Jesse (James Keach) in the back while he straightens a picture.
One of the highpoints is the chemistry between David Carradine and Pamela Reed (playing Belle Starr). My wife even got a chuckle of two out of their exchanges.
Overall a pretty decent western .
One of my favorites when it came out. The slow motion escape scene was the best. The film uses three sets of real life brothers. Watched it again a couple years ago and can add it to the other great Westerns I've seen during recent years. Still a great film.
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Post Edited (08-03-05 10:57)
Another reason why Walter Hill is one of the most underrated directors ever. I enjoyed the Long Riders quite a bit, and thought the fact that they used real life brothers was a cool touch. This one's available cheap on DVD ... those of you who haven't seen it should check it out.
Also a great authetic sounding period music soundtrack by Ry Cooder. Great film that uses it's "gimmick" so well that it makes the film work rather than just draws attention to itself.
A fantastic believeable knifefight featuring David Carradine taunting his opponent with looks and gestures, some good acting with little dialogue. Still love when he give Belle Starr the scarf back when it's over. What a mocking way to say, "You got what you wanted. Live with it."
Not among my favourite Walter Hill movies (those would be, ironically enough, "Last man standing", "Wild Bill" and "Undisputed", which most people rank among his worse), but worth watching, as with almost everything he's ever done.
The truth is that I can hardly remember it. I didn't like the vignette structure (so far, I've only seen a good movie using it properly , which was "The Untouchables"), and the climatic Northfield shootout felt too much like a "The Wild Bunch" steal. Maybe I should watch it again, together with "Geronimo", another Hill western that most people seem to like much more than I do.
This is one of my favorites, even though it has quite a few flaws. I think the acting is uneven and the script could be better in some places. But it is extremely fast-paced and very watchable. Great for repeat viewings.
Plus, the music by Ry Cooder is excellent (I had the soundtrack on a cassette tape about 15 years ago, but it is long gone).