Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-24 21:02:02

Almost a classic.

Great cast,David Carradine steals show as Cole Younger,his performance was oscar worthy.Main flaw was revisions on character of James brothers murders blamed on other gang members,Jesseportrayed as leader of group,decisions were based on consensus.Overall an outstanding effort Director Walter Hill at his best.

JoofMorg 2012-05-24 08:47:47

Perhaps Walter Hill's Best

With its great idea of casing real brothers as brothers. this movie is great. Walter Hill was at the top of his game and some of the slow motion stuff touches the greatness of Sam Peckinpah himself.I am of course thinking of horses and windows.

2012-05-14 15:23:42

Very believable - but not sure historically accurate

I very much enjoyed this movie; and, the fact that the actors were in real life related, added some measure of believability to this movie. Not too sure if it is historically accurate however, but, I would definitely recommend it to any one interested in mid-19th century westerns that, for the most part, have their premise on historical figures that actually existed.

2012-05-14 08:18:50

BEST WESTERN - Hands Down

This review is from: The Long Riders (DVD) WARNING!! BIASED REVIEWER!!Sorry, but I have little appreciation for Westerns. They tend to be preachy and predictable, with no moral ambiquity. Good guys, Bad guys, pat happy endings. Not so with this intelligently crafted film. It steers clear of the cactus cliches, while coupling reasonably accurate American history with superb story telling. The actual brothers portraying the historical brothers schtick is more than just a casting gimmick. It serves the film well, as the performances are excellent throughout the entire cast. As far as the DVD goes, expect no extras, and good audio & picture quality, and you won't be disapointed.

2012-05-13 21:52:27

Gimmicky, but it works -- just don't expect a classic

Walter Hill's 1980 Western The Long Riders (his first film after the 1979 cult classic The Warriors) starts out with a gimmick -- the casting of famous Hollywood brothers as famous outlaw brothers -- but ends up as a fair addition to the genre (and it reportedly began its life as a musical!). The main reason most people will get curious about The Long Riders is the cast. But look at that cast! It is likely to be the only place you'll see such a parade of prominent Hollywood families all together in one film. Here's the lineup: David Carradine as Cole Younger, Keith Carradine as Jim Younger, Robert Carradine as Bob Younger; Stacy Keach as Frank James, James Keach as Jesse James; Dennis Quaid as Ed Miller, Randy Quaid as Clell Miller; Christopher Guest as Charlie Ford, Nicholas Guest as Robert Ford. (Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges were originally offered the Ford roles but were reportedly unable to clear their schedules.)Among this band of brothers, I was pleasantly surprised that James Keach -- whose work I was only passingly familiar with thus far and had found mostly unmemorable -- was the real standout. He draws the eye every time he is on the screen, not least because his face seems to have been carved out of rock. There's hardly a rounded surface to be seen, which just serves to make every emotion more intensely expressed. In retrospect, this should not have been too surprising, given that the film was originally conceived by the brothers Keach as a vehicle for themselves. The familial aspect does serve to make the interrelations of the characters more palpable (unless that was just my own projection), and it's certainly worth at least one viewing, but The Long Riders is unlikely to be seen historically as anything more than a minor contribution to Western film.

Claudio Carvalho 2012-05-13 10:41:04

A Very Different Western

In the Missouri, after the civil war, the James & Younger gang stealsbanks and trains, and are chased by the Pinkertons. This movie is avery different western, showing the outlaws as human beings, havingfamilies, raising children. Walter Hill uses the Carredine, Quaid andKeach brothers in real life to perform the former bandits and it is agreat attraction in this film. The music, arranged and composed by RyCooder, fits perfectly to the story. However, the characters are notwell developed, maybe because of the quantity of lead actors versus therunning time, and the story loses the explanation of the motives forthe behavior of the bandits, being cruel while robbing and very closeto their families, being good sons, husbands and friends. Anyway, theperformance of the cast is excellent and the movie does not disappoint.My vote is seven.Title ('Brazil'): 'Cavalgada dos Proscritos' (Ride of the Proscribes')

zetes 2012-05-13 02:39:05

Good, but like all Jesse James films, it pales in comparison to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Walter Hill's follow-up to the cult classic The Warriors. This oneconcerns the James/Younger gang and their fall from grace. I don'tthink it's a secret that I consider The Assassination of Jesse James bythe Coward Robert Ford one of the best movies of all time, so any movieabout Jesse James is going to be compared and critiqued in the light ofthat one. The Long Riders isn't nearly as good. Assassionation dealswith just the very last part of the Jesse James story. The Long Ridersbites off too much. It should probably just focus on those finalexploits of Frank and Jesse and the three Younger brothers, Cole, Jimand Bob. It should have ended with the Youngers' arrest, but it goesall the way to Jesse's death and it does it in a very rushed manner.But that's not the only problem the film has. The story is ratherrepetitive, following many different crimes of the gang. The sepia tonealso gets monotonous. The gimmick casting seems clever at first butthen just seems silly after a while. Hill has gathered four sets ofbrothers to play real-life sets of brothers. The Keaches, Stacy andJohn, play Jesse and Frank respectively. David, Keith and Rob Carradineplay the Youngers. Randy and Dennis Quaid play Ed and Clell Miller (EdMiller does not meet the same demise that he does in Andrew Dominik'sfilm, which I think is the more historically accurate one), and,finally, Christopher and Nicholas Guest show up as Charlie and BobFord. Yes, Christopher Guest, as in the guy from This Is Spinal Tap.That's a lot of complaints, but much of the movie is decent. Iespecially liked David Carradine, and Pamela Reed, who plays hisprostitute love interest, is also excellent. John Keach is good asFrank James, and the other two Carradine brothers are fine. It is apassable Western, if not a remarkable one.

2012-05-12 20:44:16

The Brothers Grim

`The Long Riders' was full of potential to be a great movie. It was the first film about the James Gang to strip them of their Robin Hood myth, and that alone was enough to make it promising. Then, it used actual sets of acting brothers to portray the James, Younger, Miller, and Ford brother - a truly intriguing touch. Its action scene were brilliantly done, and it paid scrupulous attention to all the little details of dress, equipment, and furnishings to create an authentic 19th century atmosphere. Finally, it had a truly outstanding soundtrack created by Ry Cooder. `The Long Riders" had all of this going for it, and still it managed to fall flat.There were several reasons why this movie did not fulfill its potential. One has to do with context. The movie strips away the myth that Jesse and the boys were Robin Hoods; good boys driven to crime by the devil Yankee railroad barons and demon Yankee bankers, and only stealing to even the balances, but then does not address at all what did motivate their violent careers. The criminal career of the James/Younger gang was nearly an unbroken extension of their war time raids as Rebel Bushwhackers, and it is impossible to have any kind of an understanding of them without this context. The movie covered a broad period of time, chronicling several of their crimes, the robbery that broke the gang - all the way to Jesse's death; by not including any scenes of their war time career, it felt like the opening chapter had been jettisoned for no good reason.The primary cause of this film's failure, however, was in its tone. The historic outlaws were wild young men - full of bravado and a love for the wild life. In the `The Long Riders' version, the actors maintained a constant grim attitude; they brought the same faces to the gambling table, bar, and brothel that they brought to a funeral. We get no sense of their joy and excitement in their youth and lawlessness. David Carradine's Cole Younger showed some genuine wildness, but it was the wildness of a man angry at the world rather than the thrill of living on the edge. James Keach as Jesse James was the very worst. History tells us that Jesse was a clever, good humored, self promoter, and that he rose above his outlaw peers in fame on the strength of his personable nature and fast talk. Jesse James as played here by Keach is dour, humorless (he went the entire movie without a smile), silent, and rather dull. There is nothing in his performance that hints at why Jesse became a legend, or why others would follow him. This grim approach to portraying the outlaws robbed the movie of the verve that might have made it gel `The Long Riders' has enough virtues that you may still want to view it, by I strongly recommend that you rent rather than buy. File this one under "what could have been", and move on.Theo Logos

samkay1 2012-05-09 14:20:07

A pretty convincing Western

Though not the most involving of them, The Long Riders, is among themost convincing of westerns, that I can name. Everything feels in placefor the 1880's: the scripting, the acting, the design, and because thefilm is devoid of clichés, it definitely feels more like a window tothe past rather than a Hollywood recreation of it.The names and people here are all real. Frank and Jesse James, Bob,Jim, Cole Younger, were the hottest most successful gang to come out ofMissouri, and further more they have rode their way into the historybooks. As have Charlie and Robert Ford, who ended mister James,although that story is subject to a little controversy. One of the ways you can tell when history is values over Hollywood, iswhen there is no dichotomy of good or bad. Here instead there is eitherthose who uphold the law and those who break it. In the end, it is thelaw that is triumphant, which intellectually speaking qualifies as ahappy ending, but the Long Riders doesn't work that way. It not likethe James and Younger boys are the most sympathetic of characters, butit is their story from which the audience is transported through themovie.The Long Riders ends is a very violent and memorable showdown. anyonewho knows anything about film will be reminded of the gut wrenchingpotency of the wild bunch, in the last twenty minutes of the LongRiders. No good western has ever come without wrapping up with thiskind of bang. So far, the Long Riders is not ageing terrifically, but that doesn'tmean it is not worth seeing. It is an exceptional Western, credible,historically accurate, and more

2012-05-08 23:59:40

Tough and Underrated

The Long Riders might be the most accurate portrayal of the James/Younger gang on film. James Keach plays Jesse as a severe, violence prone character who robs banks because that's where the money is. It's light years removed from the recent Rob Lowe version "Frank and Jesse". Walter Hill didn't whitewash his characters, at least he didn't whitewash them as much as previous and subsequent directors have. Their bloody finale at Northfield Minnesota is presented with no punches pulled. This is a fine, hard little Western. If you've seen the terrible "Frank and Jesse" you owe it to yourself to check out this one.

2012-05-03 15:09:04

The Long Riders

Great video. I've been looking for this one for quite some time. Three sets of brothers plays three sets of brothers about the the days of the James gang right after the civil war. I'm glad to add this to my collection of western classics.

Steve Bradfield 2012-05-03 07:53:47

The True Story

I know, calling it "the true story" is a bit much for any film, but Ihave my reasons. There have been dozens of films about Jesse James,before this one and since, but as a history buff I choose this one asmy favorite. Most movies on the subject either make Jesse amisunderstood hero or the villainous target of some (usually fictional)lawman. This movie was called "revisionist" by some critics when it wasreleased, but the great thing about it is that it just tells the story.It uses a series of lovely little vignettes, each one of themhistorically verifiable. There are failings, to my mind the slow-motionshootout being the biggest, but on the whole it captures the feel ofthe period, the dress, the idioms ("I would toss the shotgun away!"),pretty much everything. It doesn't make them good guys, far from it,but it does take pains to show why their neighbors loved them and hatedthe pinkertons.Not the best western ever, by a long shot, but almost certainly thebest movie on the subject.

Raidar 2012-04-30 21:18:26

Possibly THE most underrated western of all time...

Back in the glory days of 1980, Michael Bay was just a fifteen year old ladwith a love of movies who would soon begin his enrolment at WesleyanUniversity. Bryan Singer too was a mere child, probably admiring films likeThe Long Riders with his buddy Ethan Hawke. It would take a further sixyears for John Mc Tiernan to carve his name in the Hollywood ladder and JohnWoo was still finding his directorial roots in Southern China. The man towatch when it came to extremely stylised action was one Walter Hill, thecreator of such awesome gun-totting avalanches as Extreme Prejudice, TheWarriors and Johnny Handsome. Long since categorised as ‘the' director forchoosing style over content, Hill started out his career as a screenwriter.He penned The Getaway for Sam Peckinpah, who was obviously his idol, and inalmost all of his movies he adds visual flourishes that are unsubtlyreminiscent of Peckinpah's accomplishments. (Check out Extreme Prejudicewhere Hill almost out Peckinpahs Peckinpah!) Like all of cinema's greatestachievers, Hill had an unbridled love for the western. Over the length ofhis career, he would return to the genre again and again, giving usofferings that ranged from the large-scale excess of Geronimo: an Americanlegend, to the smaller, but just as historically accurate WildBill.By far the best of his Western work, The Long Riders tells the tale of theJames/Younger legacy, a slice of history that has been adapted for thesilver screen on countless occasions. Perhaps the film's strongest and mostalluring attribute is the fact that the cast contains real life actingsiblings in the shape of the Carradines, the Keaches, the Guests and theQuaids as the band of outlaws. It's also one of the finest and mostattractively crafted movies of its kind, equally as beautiful as Heaven'sGate and as tirelessly entertaining as Tombstone. I doubt that fans of the genre will need any introduction to the exploits ofJesse James, so I won't bother to list a plot synopsis. But reportedly, thisis one of the more accurate descriptions of the adventures of the infamousanti-establishment crusader. Frankly, if outings like Frank and Jesse andthe dismal American Outlaws are anything to go by, it's also one of the bestof the colossal bunch. The thespian brothers hold up their ends with finesse, and without takinganything away from the Keaches who don't fail to entertain from start tofinish, one can only wonder how the film could have turned out if Jeff andBeau Bridges would have been available to accept the leads. David Carradinegives a scene stealing performance, making the most of his ‘relationship'with an incredibly sexy Pamela Reed as Belle Shirley. Props are certainlydue to Randy Quaid for not over cooking his threats against the singer inthe bar scene at the beginning, he comfortably makes those few short linesthe best of the whole damn movie. It's a shame that James Keach could nevermake his star shine brighter on the Hollywood A-list. Even so, he still hasone or two great performances to look back on with enough pride to show thathe was once a force to be reckoned with on the tinsel-town ladder.Being as this is a Walter Hill joint, all the flashy trademarks are rootedfirmly in place, including the use of his ever-dependable cast alumni suchas James Remar. Surprisingly enough, for a director that's famed for hislove of stylised violence, there are very few gunfights throughout theruntime, which somehow makes them even more powerful when they do finallyoccur. The Northfield Minnesota ambush is perhaps one of the greatestshoot-outs of western history, utilising a great use of sound to make eachbullet hit home with a stark sense of realism that's almost nightmareinducing. Co-ordinator Craig Baxley should take a bow for his constant butnever over-excessive use of jaw dropping stunts. Bodies literally flythrough the air with an exquisite force that manages to bring home theimpact of a gunshot with adeptness. Long Riders also boats more than itsshare of accurately realised set locations. But unlike Michael Cimino, Hillnever over indulges or looses the plot to period preciseness, so the sheenis never overpowering or unwelcome. Although Long Riders may not hold the masterpiece status of suchoften-touted westerns as The Wild Bunch, Unforgiven or even Dances withWolves, it's still a five star movie. It's superbly acted, impressivelycasted, flawlessly directed and it boasts some of the greatest music thatyou're likely to find this side of an opera. Many people often considerTombstone to be ‘the all time great popcorn western.' Well, I can onlypresume that's because they haven't actually seen this long forgottenclassic slice of storytelling. If you're a fan of the Wild West and you'velet this slip you by, then you need to be asking yourself why…

tmwest 2012-04-30 08:34:40

brothers and brothers

The story of Jesse James is the richest source of material forwesterns. There is so much written about it and only a small part of itwas shown on the screen. 'The Long Riders' keeps to the same part ofthe story as most other films: what happened shortly before Northfield,Minnesota and a bit after. I wish a more complete film would be madeabout it, starting with the civil war and ending after the trial of theFord brothers, also showing the alleged involvement of the Governor ofMissouri in the cowardly killing of Jesse. The film has great moments:the "handkerchief" fight between Cole Younger and Sam Starr where eachman has to hold on his mouth a part of a handkerchief, while they fightwith "Bowie" knives, a fight that was probably inspired by "KansasRaiders"(1950), the night before Northfield with the members of thegang and their women, the beautiful landscape with the group ridingtheir horses. The Carradine brothers as the Youngers are superb and soare Randy and Dennis Quaid as the Millers. Same for Pamela Reed asBelle Starr. I cannot think of a Frank James that can compare to HenryFonda. Stacy Keach does his best but there is something lacking. JamesKeach underplays Jesse. It is not a bad performance, far from it, butfrom what I read Jesse was more outgoing than Frank, who was the guywho wanted no publicity.The shootout at Northfield would have come outbetter without the slow motion scenes.

2012-04-28 21:23:52

Good casting equals a good movie.

This review is from: Long Riders [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) Using four sets of brothers (Quaids, Carradines, Keaches and Guests)makes for an entertaining western. How factual it is compared to the real story of the James gang I'm not sure, but it moves alongs fairly well. It might be too violent for some tastes though. The visual quality is good, but not great and the audio is straight foward stereo with no fancy effects.

2012-04-28 09:55:56

Overall, Underwhelming

This review is from: The Long Riders (DVD) This film was, when all is said and done, a great deal more style than substance. Because the James/Younger stories are reasonably well known, the director may have felt comfortable leaving a number of loose threads at each end of the cloth. He shouldn't have. Also, by distributing the focus around on 6 or 7 characters, he spreads himself far too thin. In a number of instances involving peripheral characters, I had the strong suspicion that a full director's cut might have created a sufficient context to explain something, but someone else got slap happy in the cutting room. As a result, the release version wound up seeming something like a mere series of tableaux with little character development from beginning to end. The main in depth portion involved the Northfield shootout at the end, which seemed to be a Wild Bunch redux and that was already a bit old by 1980. Other aspects such as the cinemetography and casting were quite good, but only served to allow The Long Riders to climb up to mediocrity overall.

2012-04-27 19:34:10

Good Western With An Authentic Feel

"The Long Riders" may not be perfect history but it blows away older tellings of the Jesse James story, many of which play very fast and loose with the facts. Some things it really gets right. For example, the costumes. You won't find any modern Stetson cowboy hats in this movie... just as it should be. The feel of the picture is dead on. Casting sets of brothers made it that much easier to sense family connections since they were real! The script lets 'ol Jesse off the hook on several details. For example, it is believed HE killed the cashier at the Northfield raid. Here, the job is done by Clell Miller. Although "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" got the history really correct, "The Long Riders" is a good little film that deserves more attention than it has gotten over the years.

2012-04-27 06:23:28

Classic Western

This is a solid action packed western. Also try: "Lawman","The Wild Bunch", and "Chato's Land".

grahamsj2 2012-04-25 13:57:27

Pretty good oater

This film is a sympathetic look at the James-Younger gang of the late1800's. Filmed mainly from their perspective, it's also a story of thePinkerton Agency's effort to stop the gang. The film somewhat glorifiesthe crimes committed by the gang, but that was necessary in order toget the viewer involved. The casting is a very interesting point, inthat character brothers are portrayed by real-life brothers. 3 Youngerbrothers are played by the 3 Carradine brothers, 2 James brothers by 2Keach brothers, 2 Millers by 2 Quaids and 2 Fords by 2 Guests. This mayhave been a gimmick but they're all fine actors and the film gains byfamiliarity and similarity. There is copious use of slow motion andexploding blood packs during the action/violent parts of the film, andused to good effect. All in all, a pretty enjoyable film. I understandthat it's also one of the more factual films ever made about the gang.The depiction of the Northfield bank raid and subsequent ambush is verywell documented and well-told here.

efjay-1 2012-04-25 05:36:06

This is my favourite Western

Admittedly, the Western is not my favourite movie genre, which ispartly why I like this film so much, as to my mind it is unique inseveral regards. For a start, none of the usual Western icons arepresent, which I find refreshing. There is no leading man either, no"hero", none of the usual "good guys" fighting the "bad guys" scenario.Another outstanding feature is the unique soundtrack(slide guitar, andtraditional tunes), which makes a pleasant change to the usuallyobligatory orchestral soundtrack for Westerns. This movie is short andsweet and never drags or goes off on a romantic subplot. The slowmotion option for the shoot-out scenes was a wise choice and it adds alot of impact. Even a "minor" detail like the grey dusters worn by allmembers of the gang serves to enhance the overall aesthetic appeal ofthe film. The Northfield ambush and escape sequence near the end of thefilm is compelling and I find myself re-watching that scene repeatedlywhenever I watch the movie. And, lastly, I just happen to like theactors David and Keith Carradine, and James and Stacy Keach.