10 Worst Western Movies Of Past 20 Years
2. American Outlaws
Of the real life figures who made a name for themselves in the Old West, few were as infamous as Jesse James. As the leader of the James-Younger gang, he committed many a heinous crime, including the Centralia Massacre in the days of the American Civil War.
There have been several stabs at bringing the figure to the screen, the most notable of which being "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford". On the other side of the coin however, we have American Outlaws, a rather awful release that refuses to adopt an authentic portrayal of the character at its centre.
The film follows Jesse James and his gang as they commit acts of guerilla sabotage against the Union Army. When a greedy businessman plans to carve up a town to make way for a railroad, the settlement bands together to save their home in Tennessee.
Colin Farrell plays Jesse and he's joined by the likes of Scott Caan, Kathy Bates and even Timothy Dalton. The crippling flaw of American Outlaws is its seemingly endless disregard for real history and generic approach to the setting. Painting the James-Younger gang as noble characters defending their land creates a major disconnect all the way through.