American Outlaws (2001)

Director: Les Mayfield

Writers: Roderick Taylor, John Rogers

Composer: Trevor Rabin

Starring: Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, Ali Larter, Gabriel Macht, Gregory Smith, Harris Yulin, Kathy bates, Timothy Dalton, Will McCormack, Ronny Cox, Terry O'Quinn

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Bad Is Good Again.

Plot: 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.

My rating: 5.5/10

Will I watch it again? No.

Ugh. Gangster flicks and Westerns are the go-to for throwing a bunch of young, good looking actors on the rise together in an effort for a quick cash grab by the studios.  They're rarely worth a spit and this one is among them.  The problem isn't so much with the story as it is with the outrageous ways these guys rob banks and get away from the men that are after them.  Fantasy.  Scott Caan comes of better than Colin Farrell.  It's great seeing Timothy Dalton leading the charge to capture the gang and some early scenes with Terry O'Quinn and Kathy Bates.  Trevor Rabin's score is right out of the Hanz Zimmer school of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN with the big DUH DUH DU DAH DUH DUH mess that's permeated the industry in the past decade and a half.  It would have been nice to see this in the theater only because of my love for the genre (Westerns, that is, not sorry excuses to get young, good looking actors for an ensemble action cast) and to see the gorgeous landscapes on the big screen.  This picture is just one silly, ridiculous sequence after another.  I like mindless movies sometimes but this one challenges your common sense a few times too many and this one feels like it's 90% fabrication for the sake of dumb fuckery.