Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

LeonLouisRicci Cut from the Dirty Cloth and Whimsy of its Era, with Echos of "The Wild Bunch" (1969) and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), Director Hoffman Manages to Make the Film an Enjoyable Romp with Good Acting and a Visual Template that Works as a Time Machine Travel Back when the Future was Not Certain. The Country was in Flux.There are Many Colorful Details that Make the Movie Interesting and Fun to Watch, but there is also a Goodly Amount of Angst about the Civil War, Social Concerns, and of Course the Rivalry Between Cole Younger and Jesse James. Cliff Robertson is Cole and Robert Duvall is Jesse and They are Surrounded by Some Good Stalwart Western Character Actors.This Never Quite Attains the Entertainment Value of the Same Story Laid Out in Walter Hill's "The Long Riders" (1980) that Amped Up the Stylization and the Characters Prove More Profound and Engaging. But This One Came First and is Worth a Watch for the Better Parts with its Look More Effective Than its Tone.

Wuchak Released in 1972, Phillip Kaufman's "The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid" details the final bank heist of the James-Younger Gang in 1876, which was an epic failure for the infamous gang.The tone of the film is equal parts raw realism and parody; you could almost call it a Western black comedy. For a fuller and more austere detailing of the story -- not to mention all-around better movie -- check out 1980's "The Long Riders." Jesse James is played by the great Robert Duvall, who was only 40 at the time (but looked about ten years older). Actually Jesse takes a backseat to Cole Younger here, played by Cliff Robertson. These actors and the other principles do a fine job. The film is expertly made, the story is moderately engrossing and there are some genuinely amusing moments.Despite this, the tone the filmmakers decided to go with ruins the film for me -- it de-glamorizes the wild West, making it ugly, idiotic, silly and almost profane. By Contrast, "American Outlaws" (2001) details the James-Younger Gang's first year in action and makes the Old West fun, heroic and larger-than-life and 2007's "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is a serious Western drama. "The Long Riders" remains the best of the lot.The film was shot in Jacksonville, Oregon -- a far cry from Missouri and Minnesota -- and runs 91 minutes.GRADE: C+

Woodyanders Writer/director Phillip Kaufman eschews the well-documented facts of the famous ambitious (and ultimately botched) robbery in the name of bold and downright irreverent revisionism that offers a pointed satirical critique of the new "civilization" that was coming into being at the end of the 19th century (for example, the mob of angry townspeople who go after the gang in the wake of the robbery prove to be more crazed and dangerous than said gang!). It's Kaufman's fiercely biting dry wit that gives this film an extra tangy flavor, along with the sharp cinematography by Bruce Surtees, David Grusin's jubilant and harmonic score, and the splendidly sonorous narration by the ubiquitous Paul Frees. Cliff Robertson gives an excellent and engaging performance as the shrewd and amiable Cole Younger while Robert Duvall breathes hell-raising fire as an extremely ornery Jesses James. The stellar supporting cast of familiar character faces keeps the movie buzzing: Luke Askew as the stoic and laconic Jim Younger, R.G. Armstrong as the crusty Chet Miller, Dana Elcar as the jolly Allen, Donald Moffat as the sarcastic Manning, Matt Clark as the antsy Bob Younger, Elisha Cook Jr. as the weaselly Bunker, and, in an especially tragic small part, Royal Dano as loony old coot Gustavson. Moreover, the quirky array of colorful characters are lots of fun to watch, the titular caper is both tense and thrilling, and the vivid evocation of the period seems authentic (if not entirely accurate). Recommended viewing.

poe426 One of the things that most impressed me about Philip Kaufman's take on the James-Younger gang's depredations when I was a kid was that he didn't make these guys out to be heroes: they were Civil War veterans who held grudges and did everything they could to make the Northern Invaders pay for what they'd wrought. The dark, dreary look of the movie fit its overall tone. It was interesting, too, that Kaufman focused more on Cole Younger than Jesse James (who, as played by Robert Duval, struck a chord most creepy as the often bible-thumping but murderous son of a preacher). A unique western then, and just as compelling a film now. Hop on board for the ride: you won't be disappointed.