James-Remar Movie Reviews

I saw this movie in the late 1980's and it was not too bad. I was surprised to find out who was in charge of the drug operation at the end. The music was pretty good and so was some of the action. I like the bar scene with Remar and that fat jerk, that was kind of funny! Oh, the lead actor James Remar was on 48 Hrs and the Rennassiance Man with Danny Devito. It's just hard to picture James Remar as the good guy, because he has always played the bad guy one movies...kind of like John Travolta's action movies.

I Love It! Action Packed and full of excitement!I love the story outline!!!Yum Yum marijuana! Love your niece; Tina Borris.

One city cop goes to a rural area to locate a missing person, only to find himself trapped in a small village controlled by a force of drug related problems. Inocent people are murdered by the outlaw group, and this police officer from the city finds himself taking on the entire outlaw group who answers to one person named "THE MAN" who's identity isn't revealed until the end of the movie when the charactor of "THE MAN" is shot and killed by someone other than the cop. I highly recomend this movie to anyone who enjoys watching police action movies.

Herbert Ross' "Boys on the Side" is a road trip film with a different perspective. In the cinematic world, the road trip film typically revolves around a gang of friends who hit the road hoping to find their true calling along the way. There are highs and lows during this voyage of discovery, but ultimately matters end on a generally positive note. Not so with this film. "Boys on the Side" is a road trip film with such a depressing low at its conclusion that any joy found along the way is seriously muted.

Jane Deluca (Whoopi Goldberg) decides to head west after she loses her job in New York. She hooks up with Robin (Mary-Louise Parker) who is heading the same way and wants to share the driving with someone else. The pair picks up a third traveler in Pittsburgh when Jane's friend Holly Pulchik (Drew Barrymore) joins the westward trek in order to escape her abusive boyfriend Nick (Billy Wirth). Along the way there are a series of revelations with one in particular leading to a painful loss.

"Boys on the Side" is a film with the dramatic twists and turns of a soap opera. However, it fares much better in comparison because of the higher quality of acting and the more mature approach to the material. The whimsical interaction between the three women is a joy to watch as Goldberg, Parker, and Barrymore light up the screen from start to finish. Parker's performance is especially powerful and will most likely be the one aspect of the film that will continue to linger in your thoughts after it concludes. "Boys on the Side" is about the strong bond of friendship and how this strong bond helps friends to deal with the sad realization that life is difficult and unfair. It is not the easiest film to sit through but it is a rewarding experience for those that manage to do so.

Mary-Louise Parker is phenomenal as the pill-popping neurotic realtor that puts in a classified ad for a traveling comanion on her trek to the west coast. The one who answers her ad is a dred-lock-wearing black lesbian (played masterfully by Whoopi Goldberg)... and both are a little startled by each other and how contrasting their lives are. Parker is slightly horrified that her traveling companion is gay and Goldberg is very horrified that she's going to be trapped in a car for over a week with this psycho, anal woman.

Goldberg's character makes a quick diversion to visit a friend (Drew Barrymore) and a crazy turn of events puts Barrymore in the van with Goldberg and Parker.

The three of them all have skeletons in their closets and all sorts of emotional baggage that they have not dealt with, much less shared with anyone else. This dynamic mix of diverse personalities is first a cauldron of irritation, frustration and prejudices, but together the women face some crazy circumstances that bring them together.

It turns out they all have much more in common than they realized. There are very touching scenes where only the most stone-hearted individual will not feel a crack in their throat... and there are scenes that will make you laugh so hard, you might just lose bladder control.

Themes include family, loyalty, race, bigotry, domestic violence, unrequited love, romance, loss, terminal illness and death. This may seem like a lot of themes for just one movie, but the film is so real, you feel like you're one of the girls in the van, hanging out with them. They become your friends and you quickly bond with them. The film was directed by Herbert Ross who is known for directing "Steel Magnolias." This film is just as powerful, if not more so.

My less than perfect rating is due to the lack of extras on the DVD. How about interviews with the director and the cast? Trailers? Music video of the Indigo Girls (they had cameos in this film)? It is very unfortunate that no effort was made to make this a DVD worthwhile getting in lieu of VHS.

In spite of the DVD's shortcomings, the film itself is fantastic and I recommend it highly. Domestic violence, mature themes and language make this not suitable for kids.

Two women are going to CA. Jane (Goldberg), has this friend, Holly (Barrymore). Well, they stop to say hi, and end up with one more in the car!! I won't tell you why, so you can find out for yourself!! But they bond, like most do. They go through a lot. For example, one is gay, one has AIDS, and the other has a baby (only god knows who the father is!) Well, it's sad and funny, and all around a good movie! Barrymore soars, Goldberg is awsome as usual, and Parker is great! oh, the soundtrack is awsome!!

Herbert Ross' "Boys on the Side" is a road trip film with a different perspective. In the cinematic world, the road trip film typically revolves around a gang of friends who hit the road hoping to find their true calling along the way. There are highs and lows during this voyage of discovery, but ultimately matters end on a generally positive note. Not so with this film. "Boys on the Side" is a road trip film with such a depressing low at its conclusion that any joy found along the way is seriously muted.

Jane Deluca (Whoopi Goldberg) decides to head west after she loses her job in New York. She hooks up with Robin (Mary-Louise Parker) who is heading the same way and wants to share the driving with someone else. The pair picks up a third traveler in Pittsburgh when Jane's friend Holly Pulchik (Drew Barrymore) joins the westward trek in order to escape her abusive boyfriend Nick (Billy Wirth). Along the way there are a series of revelations with one in particular leading to a painful loss.

"Boys on the Side" is a film with the dramatic twists and turns of a soap opera. However, it fares much better in comparison because of the higher quality of acting and the more mature approach to the material. The whimsical interaction between the three women is a joy to watch as Goldberg, Parker, and Barrymore light up the screen from start to finish. Parker's performance is especially powerful and will most likely be the one aspect of the film that will continue to linger in your thoughts after it concludes. "Boys on the Side" is about the strong bond of friendship and how this strong bond helps friends to deal with the sad realization that life is difficult and unfair. It is not the easiest film to sit through but it is a rewarding experience for those that manage to do so.

Mary-Louise Parker is phenomenal as the pill-popping neurotic realtor that puts in a classified ad for a traveling comanion on her trek to the west coast. The one who answers her ad is a dred-lock-wearing black lesbian (played masterfully by Whoopi Goldberg)... and both are a little startled by each other and how contrasting their lives are. Parker is slightly horrified that her traveling companion is gay and Goldberg is very horrified that she's going to be trapped in a car for over a week with this psycho, anal woman.

Goldberg's character makes a quick diversion to visit a friend (Drew Barrymore) and a crazy turn of events puts Barrymore in the van with Goldberg and Parker.

The three of them all have skeletons in their closets and all sorts of emotional baggage that they have not dealt with, much less shared with anyone else. This dynamic mix of diverse personalities is first a cauldron of irritation, frustration and prejudices, but together the women face some crazy circumstances that bring them together.

It turns out they all have much more in common than they realized. There are very touching scenes where only the most stone-hearted individual will not feel a crack in their throat... and there are scenes that will make you laugh so hard, you might just lose bladder control.

Themes include family, loyalty, race, bigotry, domestic violence, unrequited love, romance, loss, terminal illness and death. This may seem like a lot of themes for just one movie, but the film is so real, you feel like you're one of the girls in the van, hanging out with them. They become your friends and you quickly bond with them. The film was directed by Herbert Ross who is known for directing "Steel Magnolias." This film is just as powerful, if not more so.

My less than perfect rating is due to the lack of extras on the DVD. How about interviews with the director and the cast? Trailers? Music video of the Indigo Girls (they had cameos in this film)? It is very unfortunate that no effort was made to make this a DVD worthwhile getting in lieu of VHS.

In spite of the DVD's shortcomings, the film itself is fantastic and I recommend it highly. Domestic violence, mature themes and language make this not suitable for kids.

Two women are going to CA. Jane (Goldberg), has this friend, Holly (Barrymore). Well, they stop to say hi, and end up with one more in the car!! I won't tell you why, so you can find out for yourself!! But they bond, like most do. They go through a lot. For example, one is gay, one has AIDS, and the other has a baby (only god knows who the father is!) Well, it's sad and funny, and all around a good movie! Barrymore soars, Goldberg is awsome as usual, and Parker is great! oh, the soundtrack is awsome!!

I can't believe that only 10 people have wrote a review for "Renaissance Man." I thought it was a lot more popular than that and I know that it deserves all the praise and popularity that it can get! Bill Rago (Danny DeVito) takes a job as a teacher in the Army even though he doesn't have any teaching experience and doesn't really want the job. Yeah I agree that that does sound a little far fetched, but not all movies have to tell a true story!

Bill doesn't exactly know what to teach about, so he just teaches the 'students' about something he really likes, the book, Hamlet. Will the army students enjoy learning about Hamlet or will they think it's boring? Will Bill Rago be a good teacher or a fluke? I recommend watching the movie to find out.

I thought "Renaissance Man" was a great movie. Unlike what many people might think or might had heard about it previously, it's not really a full-fledged comedy movie. Danny DeVito is hilarious in the movie and the part that I'll remember the most from the whole movie is one of the funniest parts I've ever seen in any movie!! I couldn't quit laughing at the part where Danny DeVito got to the top of a tall place in the army, and he has to try and work his way down with a rope even though he's TERRIFIED of heights. "Renaissance Man" has a few other hilarious parts, but really when it all comes down to it, it's more of a drama movie and more of a feel-good movie than it is a comedy. Not that that's bad, but that's the only complaint I have whatsoever about the movie, it could've had a few more hilarious parts where more people would have given it rave reviews and remembered it the rest of their lives. However, it wasn't bad enough to take away any of my rating for it, so I still give it a 5.

If you like great comedy/drama movies, I recommend getting "Renaissance Man." You'll laugh your head off and feel the drama at the same time.

This movie is so fantastic. It is deep, yet humorous. It teaches so many lessons of life. Buy it and watch it often to remind yourself of those lessons that we should never forget. Definitely a realistic, feel good movie that holds your attention the whole time. Spectacular performance by Danny DeVito.

Danny DeVito was perfect for his character as Bill Rago. The story is about an unemployed man who becomes a teacher in the Army to train eight iffy soldiers. DeVito's job is to teach his kids to comprehend. The thing is, if DeVito fails, that's it for these guys, they're out of the Army and out of a job. DeVito instructs the kids early in the film to bring something to read to class. Then a soldier asks DeVito what he was reading. He responds, "Hamlet." One of the soldiers then identifies the book as a story about a little bitty pig. But as anyone knows it is written by Shakespear. The kids show great interest in it. The film goes on and DeVito starts to bond with the kids he once hated.

DeVito had been typecasted as a man who is halfway good/halfway bad due to his roll in "Taxi," but he shows his true acting talent here in this film. Rent it, it's a great movie.

it starts out as a lady comes home to cook a boy for dinner but the boy tells the lady three storys from the Tales From The Darkside book. the first one is Lot 249 with Christian Slater, Julianne Moore and Steve Buscemi, which this one is the best with of course Slater's character. then the next one is The Cat From Hell with William Hickey and David Johanssen, this one is ok but it sometimes shallows the movie with its annoying and mangling old people. the last one is A Lover's Vow with James Remar and Rae Dawn Chong, it starts off good with Remar but then ends up being a cheesy story with its lame gargoyle effects.

TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE is a horror anthology that contains three gruesome stories that are bookended by a wraparound story."The Wraparound Story" is about a little boy who tells scary stories to a modern day cannibal in order to save some time before she cooks the little boy for a dinner party. "Lot 249" is about a college student who brings an ancient mummy back to life in order to seek revenge against the people who have done him wrong. "Cat From Hell" is about a rich man who hires a hitman to kill a cat that he believes has come to kill him. "Lover's Vow" is about a man who witnesses an act of murder committed by a demonic creature and is given the chance to live if he promises never to speak about what he saw. All these stories contain plenty of gore, humor, and scares to keep you on the edge of your seat! Plus, you have a great cast of actors in the movie!

Note: does contain spoilers.

Tales From The Darkside: The Movie,is a simply awesome horror anthology that's a worthy addition to the world of horror films and a great addition to the multi-story genre.

There are three stories in all.The wrap-around is OK,but could use more guts.However,it has a very cool finale that's very amusing.

The first story is arguably the best.It's titled "Lot 249" and involves an un-bandaged mummy who kills college coeds in VERY gruesome and painful ways.The special F/X are awesome and the gore is very high.The mummy is one of the coolest you'll ever see,not to mention,one of the ugliest.

The second story is almost as good as Lot 249.It titled "Cat From Hell" and involves a murderous black cat.Very chilling and pretty disgusting.

The third tale is my least favorite,but it's still good.It's titled "Lover's Vow",and involves a guy named Preston who witnesses a man get shishkabobed by a Gargoyle.The Gargoyle tells Preston to promise not to tell anyone about the incident. Of course he eventually tells,and the finale is really wicked. The ending will surely scare the crap out of you and the gore F/X are incredibly gross.The Gargoyle looks fantastic too.

This film is an absolute must if your a fan of the multi-story genre,and is well worth buying if your a horror movie fan.

Rated R for very gruesome horror violence,some language and nudity.

This film impressed me with the tense plot and excellent acting from a relatively unknown cast. Corey Feldman is hysterical. The squemish might want to fast-forward through a disturbing scene where a woman gets her finger chopped in a paper cutter! Overall, I really enjoyed this picture.

I really enjoyed watching this video. The actors were all really strong. I was surprised how good Corey Feldman is, and I haven't liked him since "Stand By Me." This picture deals with teens who rob a bank and essentially every thing that can go wrong does. The paper cutter scene is awesome...worthy of Hitchcock himself. "Born Bad" is "all good."

Corey Feldman is hilarious in this movie. I thought that all the clever plot twists and turns were great. The last half hour is intense. Although I didn't recognize some of the actors, I thought they all did a really good job. Definitely worth seeing!

Confortable formulaic action flick with some silly, laughable racist overtones, but Nolte/Murphy fans will enjoy the action and constant slapstick. Nothing great but worth a few laughs.

Falling into the same genre as 'Beverly Hills Cop', 1982's '48 HRS.' takes the good-cop, bad-crook scene and transforms it to fit Eddie Murphy's talents on a different scale. Instead of chasing high-profile criminals as 'Detective Axel Foley', Murphy portrays a loud-mouth convict teamed up with a hardass detective Jack Cates. Nick Nolte's roll as this chain smoking, trash-talking, loveable sleezbag sort of shadows performances by John Wayne and Clint Eastwood...only in a new age. The low-flash scene is set in California, where Cates (Nolte) loses a battle with two escape conns along with his gun...leaving two more plain-clothed officers dead. The thing I think you need to remember when watching these movies is that the lead cops never dressed in uniform, and you'll see more covertable classic 70s' cars than marked squad cars. Otherwise, Nolte is the perfect grunge policeman who teams up with Reggie Hammond (Murphy) to catch a ruthless killer who Murphy once sided with. From the moment Nolte takes Murphy out of jail for 48 hours, you can sense the racial heat and explosive attitudes of the two. This proved to make for a perfect comedy, as Nolte and Murphy race to kill the killers without killing eachother. Murphy has a classic scene in a highly exaggerated country western bar, where the confederate flag is on every wall and "yee-haw!" is a common thing to hear. Murphy raises the roof of the bar in a hilarious scene that could only work with this guy. 'Another 48 HRS' 10 years later was a predicted mistake, instead I think the director should've considered remaking the original scene and plot, but using the flash and movie effects not available in 1982. Maybe put a better suit on Nolte or give'em a hotter car...dont use women you would rather see with their clothes ON than off, and make the fight sequences and assaults more realistic. '48 HRS.' still never stops working though, you give a great idea to talented actors and you can make tons of mistakes while still having a great movie. '48 HRS' also features plugs from Annette O'Toole (Law and Order), Sonny Landham ('Lock-Up', 'Predator') and what-ever-happened-to Tara King ('The Avengers'). Dont wait for this movie to be on tv, if you dont hear all the language it doesnt work. Get this movie on DVD while its' still available...but just dont expect to find as great a movie in the sequal.

When i look back at the films of the 1980's "48 Hours" has to
be one of the best and most memorable films of that particular
time periord. What is shown here is a slam bang mix of action
and rasict comedy when Murphy is sprung out of jail on a weekend
pass to help a tough no-nonsense cop(Played by Nick Nolte in his
good attempt at playing these type of roles) in tracking down
Murphey's ex-partner who is ine search of hidden loot from a
previous heist. The chemistry between Murphey & Nolte is realistic and times very funny. This is the film that pretty much
started the whole "buddy buddy" craze which was very popular back
in the eighties especally films like THE LETHAL WEAPON films
The standout performaces was when Murphy masquarades as cop
in a local redneck bar. Very funny film and is indeed one of
Eddie Murphy's best.

Confortable formulaic action flick with some silly, laughable racist overtones, but Nolte/Murphy fans will enjoy the action and constant slapstick. Nothing great but worth a few laughs.

Damn has it really been this long since Eddie and Nick had a good movie out? 1982 was a long time ago. Roxanne!

Im not a video buff but when I used to shop here, I bought a few of my favorite movies on DVD. This was one of them, its' not remastered or anything its' simply that DVDs' last waaaaaay longer than VHS tapes. Paramount Pictures' '48 HRS.' came at the right time and in the right form, there were BIG reasons it made over $80m. at the box office in no time. SNL star Eddie Murphy who had never done a picture, was picked up by Walter Hill at age 21 to star along side veteran actor Nick Nolte in this, the kind of movie nobody had ever seen before. It was a low budget, very basic film with a few mistakes like scenes that were filmed for the middle or end of the movie were spliced into the beginning, but '48 HRS.' started the entire craze that has now become something all actors and filmmakers can rely on..the scenerio that is. Detective Jack Cates (Nolte) is the sloppy, alcohol-chugging and chain-smoking edgy cop, who gets a smooth-talking B.S. artist convict (Eddie Murphy) out of jail for 48 hours to hunt down a ruthless escape killer (A young James Remar) and his partner (former 70s' porn star Sonny Landham). Drenched with racial tention between the two, graphically foul language and a few nude women, the movie has a rough edge that is still admired today, 21 years later. I see these ads for movies like 'Bad Company' this and 'Bad Boys' that..hey, if you're a fan of the actors or just bored one night theres your movie but in reality they ssssuck. '48 HRS.' layed the groundwork, without which there would BE no 'Training Day', 'Rush Hour', 'Enemy of the State'...not the exact way they were made anyway. The intense 1982 comedy/drama began inspiring film and tv in less than a year in fact..1984's 'Beverly Hills Cop' which was originally written for Sylvester Stallone, became another spin-off of the '48 HRS.' story as did 'Miami Vice', 'Stakeout', 'Lethal Weapon' and others that were huge hits also. Margot Rose is the one I love seeing every time I flip by this movie on tv, god she was sooo cute when she was younger...still cute now, older but cute. There are a few scenes missing from the DVD that you ironically may catch when its' on prime time tv, I mean they're not important, its just kind of odd that they did'nt print them on the disc. '48 HRS.' was one of the movies I used to always love watching with tremendous amounts of alcohol (I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT FOR ANYONE, NOBODY BLAME ME IF YOUR KID STARTS DRINKING), my point being its a classic American movie that wont ever grow old, Eddie Murphy's 10 minuet scene in Walter Hill's fictional 'Torchy's' bar is what made this superstar famous...think of what might've happened to Eddie Murphy if Gregory Hines HAD'NT backed out of this role......

Based on the reviews here at this amazon site, I felt it sounded like a movie that I could buy and watch again and again. So I went out and paid the money. When I saw the movie, I returned it to the shop and asked if I could swap it for something else. I think the reviews here are over-rating this movie. Some how it paints the picture of brotherly love and how one brother backs another brother. Well that is trashed very early on, as Quaid junior is left on a limb by all including his older brother for messing up the first hit, not much look out for your brother there then. And what about the Guest brothers, they hardly did anything and their names make the cover of the dvd.

The final hit that the gang undertakes was a good bit of action, but the one thing that I detest is when the gang fire one shot and kill someone, but when other people fire at the gang it takes about 10 bullets hitting different parts of the body and they still don't die - I hate this, I hate this a lot. It seemed the whole village of about 150 people were firing at our gang of about 7 and in the process took about 150 bullets without dieing - what was going on? After the final hit, half turn them selves in and Cole Younger is sitting there in hospital and he looked like nothing happened, when infact he took 11 bullets - what the hell is going on man. A similar thing happened in the Return of the Magnificent Seven, about half a dozen take on a whole army (it also happened in the first of the Magnificent Seven movies, but that was stylish and I liked it), it just looked absolutely ridiculous, not even a 5 year old would buy that.

The score was probably not that good either as I have forgotten it. One of the reviewers reffered to it as one of the top 5 westerns of all time - eh eh, how wrong can you be, it would not even make my top 10 best westerns.

If you want to watch a western or buy one and you do not have or seen any of Clint Eastwoods dollar movies then forget the Long Riders.

PS: When I returned the Long Riders I swapped it for Once Upon a Time in the West, which was nearly 3 times the price but much much much better.

I don't know why I am such a sucker for this film. It is too long, uneven, very slow in parts and certainly doesn't provide a happy ending. But it is one of the most honest yet entertaining westerns I have ever seen. The qimmick of using the Keach brothers as Frank and Jesse James and the Carradine brothers as the three members of the Younger family (plus throwing in the Quaid brothers for good measure)works wonderfully well. Always picturesque, frequently violent and bloody, this film evokes the unstable time just after the Civil War when the James and Younger gang were at their height. A terrific contrast is drawn between the James men, who are depicted as dedicated homebodies when not at "work", and the Youngers who are depicted as boisterous hell-raisers. Pamela Reed as Belle Starr is a standout in an already excellent cast. When Cole Younger and her husband square off for a knife fight she just smiles and declares "You boys sure do keep me entertained." The same could be said for this film. It is by far the best Jesse James film ever made, and with its sound track by Rye Cooder, a pleasant experience to revisit every year or so.

This appears to be a pretty accurate account of the James-Younger Gang, focusing on their Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery.

The James and the Youngers are protrayed as outlaws who were influenced by thier civil war service in and around Missouri. They had killed and stolen in service to their cause and then kept it up after the war ended. But they are not shown in a particularly heroic light.

Instead, they are shown as clannish desperadoes who are supported by the locals. David Carradine in particular does a good job as Cole Younger. The movie does a good job showing the peer pressure put on them after the Pinkerton people get their brother killed. It also shows the Ford brothers selling out Jesse James' life to the Pinkertons.

It does leave out the part in Northfield where the citizenry supposedly went into a hardware store and began grabbing rifles off the shelves with which to repel the invaders.

This movie gets gorey and gritty in spots, has cathouse scenes, and is not a "cowboy" movie to show to young kids.

Based on the reviews here at this amazon site, I felt it sounded like a movie that I could buy and watch again and again. So I went out and paid the money. When I saw the movie, I returned it to the shop and asked if I could swap it for something else. I think the reviews here are over-rating this movie. Some how it paints the picture of brotherly love and how one brother backs another brother. Well that is trashed very early on, as Quaid junior is left on a limb by all including his older brother for messing up the first hit, not much look out for your brother there then. And what about the Guest brothers, they hardly did anything and their names make the cover of the dvd.

The final hit that the gang undertakes was a good bit of action, but the one thing that I detest is when the gang fire one shot and kill someone, but when other people fire at the gang it takes about 10 bullets hitting different parts of the body and they still don't die - I hate this, I hate this a lot. It seemed the whole village of about 150 people were firing at our gang of about 7 and in the process took about 150 bullets without dieing - what was going on? After the final hit, half turn them selves in and Cole Younger is sitting there in hospital and he looked like nothing happened, when infact he took 11 bullets - what the hell is going on man. A similar thing happened in the Return of the Magnificent Seven, about half a dozen take on a whole army (it also happened in the first of the Magnificent Seven movies, but that was stylish and I liked it), it just looked absolutely ridiculous, not even a 5 year old would buy that.

The score was probably not that good either as I have forgotten it. One of the reviewers reffered to it as one of the top 5 westerns of all time - eh eh, how wrong can you be, it would not even make my top 10 best westerns.

If you want to watch a western or buy one and you do not have or seen any of Clint Eastwoods dollar movies then forget the Long Riders.

PS: When I returned the Long Riders I swapped it for Once Upon a Time in the West, which was nearly 3 times the price but much much much better.

I don't know why I am such a sucker for this film. It is too long, uneven, very slow in parts and certainly doesn't provide a happy ending. But it is one of the most honest yet entertaining westerns I have ever seen. The qimmick of using the Keach brothers as Frank and Jesse James and the Carradine brothers as the three members of the Younger family (plus throwing in the Quaid brothers for good measure)works wonderfully well. Always picturesque, frequently violent and bloody, this film evokes the unstable time just after the Civil War when the James and Younger gang were at their height. A terrific contrast is drawn between the James men, who are depicted as dedicated homebodies when not at "work", and the Youngers who are depicted as boisterous hell-raisers. Pamela Reed as Belle Starr is a standout in an already excellent cast. When Cole Younger and her husband square off for a knife fight she just smiles and declares "You boys sure do keep me entertained." The same could be said for this film. It is by far the best Jesse James film ever made, and with its sound track by Rye Cooder, a pleasant experience to revisit every year or so.

This appears to be a pretty accurate account of the James-Younger Gang, focusing on their Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery.

The James and the Youngers are protrayed as outlaws who were influenced by thier civil war service in and around Missouri. They had killed and stolen in service to their cause and then kept it up after the war ended. But they are not shown in a particularly heroic light.

Instead, they are shown as clannish desperadoes who are supported by the locals. David Carradine in particular does a good job as Cole Younger. The movie does a good job showing the peer pressure put on them after the Pinkerton people get their brother killed. It also shows the Ford brothers selling out Jesse James' life to the Pinkertons.

It does leave out the part in Northfield where the citizenry supposedly went into a hardware store and began grabbing rifles off the shelves with which to repel the invaders.

This movie gets gorey and gritty in spots, has cathouse scenes, and is not a "cowboy" movie to show to young kids.