Customer Reviews
Sunday afternoon TV movie - By: Brendan O. Clarke, 24 Jun 2008 
I caught this on TV in June '08; it is a 'Young Guns' movie without jokes. The action was not without merit, but the acting was weak except for a young Colin Farrell, & i had to put my hands over my ears at points to quell my nausea due to a poor script. Other than that it is a good movie for Children.
A film that can best be described as the "dumb version" of Young Guns, American Outlaws ranks among the year's most entertainingly insipid movies.
Frank & Jesse return home after the Civil War, hoping to build a nice quiet lifestyle & raise some young'ens. Unfortunately, here come the evil railroad tycoons who promptly torch the town & kill Mama James. Along with their good buddies, the Youngers, Frank & Jesse set off to rob lots of banks & redistribute the cash 'Robin Hood' style. The end.
What makes this one any different than the Young Guns flicks, the classic Philip Kaufman western The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid or Walter Hill's entertaining The Long Riders? Well, nothing...other than about 65 billion brain cells.
Imagine a "Wild West" episode of Beverly Hills 90210 with a guest appearance by Timothy Dalton. Better yet, imagine a local high school junior prom plopped into the Old West & you'll have a good idea of the silliness that is American Outlaws. Rare is the childish movie that tries so hard to wear its "grownup" face while failing so resoundingly.
Adults can watch Junior Bonner (S.McQueen) on Sunday afternoon, while the children can watch American Outlaws in another room. Full stop.
a fun western - By: Bethan Howard-gash, 03 Apr 2008 
ok, so its not the most thought provoking of films but the acting is reallly good, the charcters are well scripted & work well together . once id seen it i couldn't wait to watch it again.
i love old westerns & this has some of the same great points...horse chases, gun fights & bankrobbery. Jesses older brother is very charismatic & seems to inadvertently steal some of the scenes. I loved this film.
over-rated - By: Ebben Adams, 02 Sep 2007 
The story lacked depth like watching a tv ad -- alll hat & no cattle.
No emotional involvement, lacking believability.
Colin Farrell had a habit in this movie of walking through bullet laden fields unharmed
which seemed a bit unrealistic. Cast didn't seem to work too well together.
Great film, well worth buying - By: J. Honey-Mennal, 08 Nov 2003 I reallly, reallly enjoyed this film & can watch it over & over again & enjoy it just as much as I did the first time. The whole cast work beautifully together, & it has such a sense of fun that you can't help but chuckle your way through it. I particularly liked Gabriel Macht as Frank James, very charismatic & an inveterate scene stealer (no mean feat with Colin Farrell in the same frame).
A great western - By: , 20 Mar 2003 
If you liked "Bad girls" you are going to love this movie. It's a pretty standard western with some great shootouts & bankrobberies, it's very fun to watch & if you even remotely like Colin Farrell this is a great buy.
It's a great movie for both guys & gals, there is a lot of gunfights for the guys & for the gals there is something pretty to look at, especiallly the aforementioned Colin Farrell.
