Rotten Tomatoes Logo Do you want to see ‘American Outlaws’?
American Outlaws

American Outlaws (2001)

tomatometer

14

Average Rating: 3.6/10
Reviews Counted: 102
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 88

With corny dialogue, revisionist history, anachronistic music, and a generically attractive cast, American Outlaws is a sanitized, teenybopper version of Jesse James.

7

Average Rating: 3/10
Critic Reviews: 29
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 27

With corny dialogue, revisionist history, anachronistic music, and a generically attractive cast, American Outlaws is a sanitized, teenybopper version of Jesse James.

audience

68

liked it
Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 43,057

My Rating

Movie Info

This loosely fact-based oater attempts to mimic the youthful heartthrobs in Western garb formula of Young Guns (1988), as well as the cheeky humor and some plot elements of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). Colin Farrell stars as Jesse James, who returns home from the Civil War to his small hometown to find that a crooked railroad baron (Harris Yulin) has been illegally forcing the residents from the homesteads to make way for a new rail line. Enraged, James leads a band of outlaws

PG-13, 1 hr. 33 min.

Western, Action & Adventure

John W. Rogers, Roderick Taylor

Dec 4, 2001

$11.9M

Warner Bros.

American Outlaws Trailer & Photos

More Photos (6)
More Trailers and Videos (34)

Cast

Critic Reviews for American Outlaws

All Critics (111) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (17) | Rotten (89) | DVD (15)

A big yawn that only reminds us why movie westerns are six feet under and not likely to make a comeback.

August 31, 2001 Full Review Source: New York Observer | Comment
Rex Reed
New York Observer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The bizarre result of another in a long line of westerns tailored for rising actors, who no one really takes seriously in such projects.

August 22, 2001 Comment
David Hunter
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The movie's presumption of ignorance on the audience's part is monumental.

August 21, 2001 Full Review Source: Village Voice | Comment
Michael Atkinson
Village Voice
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The blandification of the puppy-stud Western reaches its nadir.

August 20, 2001 Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | Comment
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Picture 1860s Missouri as Ft. Lauderdale during Spring Break and you've got the idea.

August 20, 2001 Full Review Source: Salon.com | Comment
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

There's no escaping the hackneyed plot or Mayfield's conventional hand.

August 17, 2001 Comment
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Silly western revisits Jesse James.

December 21, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media

At no time does the movie ever catch fire, come to life, or show a spark of imagination.

December 18, 2003 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
John J. Puccio
Movie Metropolis

Never mind that it's already been done before and better; it's never been done this pretty.

December 18, 2003 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
John J. Puccio
Movie Metropolis

...instantly forgettable.

August 1, 2003 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

For the most part it's First Knight Way Out West all the way.

October 16, 2002 Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | Comment
John Patterson
L.A. Weekly

Setting new standards in historical inaccuracy.

June 20, 2002 Full Review | Comment
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

At its best, American Outlaws is absurd; at its worst, it's tedious and laughable.

February 26, 2002 Full Review Source: Mark Reviews Movies | Comment
Mark Dujsik
Mark Reviews Movies
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for American Outlaws

View All

A run of the mill western adventure that was fun but a bit too corny.

October 14, 2007
puffchunk
Curtis Lilly

Super Reviewer

Pretty good action keeps this one afloat. It's like a young Guns for the new generation but just not as good.

January 8, 2008
superclerk25
Jason Spencer

Super Reviewer

American Outlaws Quotes

View All

No quotes approved yet for American Outlaws. Logged in users can submit quotes.

DVD

Top Rentals

35% The Hangover Part II
25% Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Par...
81% Kung Fu Panda 2
44% Cowboys & Aliens
83% Rise of the Planet of the Apes
More…

New On DVD This Week

25% Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Par...
88% Lady and the Tramp
69% A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
21% Fireflies in the Garden
45% The Rebound
More…

Latest News for American Outlaws

View All

What's Hot On RT

Luis Guzman
Luis Guzman

What are his 10 best movies ever?

<em>Amazing Spider-Man</em>
Amazing Spider-Man

See the all-new action-packed trailer!

The Avengers!
The Avengers!

Five new Marvelous pictures

Total Recall
Total Recall

Unconventional Superheroes

Top Movie Quizzes

LEGO Mania: 2011 Best Picture Nominees
by natalie - 18,541 taken
created 12 months ago
How Much Do You Know About Leonardo DiCaprio?
by natalie - 44,364 taken
created 15 months ago
Pixar Movies!
by jdikwlzviv - 27,114 taken
created 15 months ago
The Wizards of Harry Potter
by jdikwlzviv - 27,619 taken
created 15 months ago

Movie News

View All

Featured on RT

Comments

Top Headlines

Fresh Links

Super Bowl Commercial Preview
Super Bowl Commercial Preview External Link
 Tecca profiles eight gametime ads that various companies have released before the big event!
15 Most Romantic Movie Moments
15 Most Romantic Movie Moments External Link
 BuzzSugar runs through a list of their favorite romantic moments to prep you for Valentine's Day.
Best Young Actress?
Best Young Actress? External Link
 Moviefone pores over awards statistics to crown this generation's best young actress!
50 Best Uses of Songs
50 Best Uses of Songs External Link
 Time Out NY brings us an awesome list of the 50 best uses of preexisting music in movie scenes!
Top 10 Freezing Cold Movies
Top 10 Freezing Cold Movies External Link
 With The Grey in theaters, TIME offers up 10 outstandingly chilly films!
Follow RT on Twitter!
Follow RT on Twitter! External Link
 Daily Tomatometer updates, interesting movie links, and vulgar jokes!
Help | About | Jobs | Newsletter | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Blog | Developers | Mobile
Copyright © Flixster, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy