This is a slight and plain biopic about Jesse James who ranks with Billy the Kid as the most famous of Western outlaws . Legend and folklore have cast him as a Robin Hood , a good boy forced by circumstances to follow a criminal life . The picture provides a simple portrait of Jesse and his band , as they move from Civil War to there territory becoming into demi-legends . Jesse (Colin Farrell) and Frank (Gabriel Match) joined the Confederate guerrillas of Quantrill and learned to kill in ruthless company . Jesse and Frank along with cousins Cole (Scott Caan) , Bob (Will McCormack) and Jim Younger return from War to find mommy (Kathy Bates) and family threatened by railroad . Then a Midwest town to be aware that mean railroad barons (Terry O'Quinn , Harris Yulin) have captured the deeds to their homesteads without their knowledge , as a group of young ranchers unite forces to take back what is rightfully theirs . As Pinkerton (Timothy Dalton) detectives were hired by the railroad company to hunt down Jesse and Frank . So James Brothers commence to robbin' banks and trains to help out the poor folks who been done wrong . In the course of their revenge , they will become the object of the biggest manhunt in the history of the Old West . Along the way , Jesse courts attractive young , filly Zee (Ali Later) . As their fame grows, so will the legend of their leader, a young outlaw by the name of Jesse James.
A sophomoric wild bunch look-alike that ends up resembling a Western version of Bowery Boys . Features various passable acting by a popular group of today's known stars . This is an average look about the known story of the West's greatest bandit along with Frank , Cole Younger and brothers . Contemporary-style Western with acceptable performances and professional direction by Les Mayfield who creates some good action scenes . Jesse is middlingly played , though sometimes overacting , by Colin Farrel, he plays as a likable, sympathetic, attractive young and favourite with girls . This passable Western packs lots of action , shootouts, and explosive violence . Taut excitement throughout , beautifully photographed by Russell Boyd and with spectacular bloodletting but realized with some flaws . atmospheric and evocative musical score by Trevor Ravin . The story is similarly to ¨The young guns I and II¨ with loads of noisy action and violence . The film gets spectacular shoot em'up , thrills , exciting horse pursuits ; it's entertaining , although nothing new but displays an ordinary pace and with no originality . People have been writing the obituary for a few years now , but ¨American outlaws¨ cannot be the bullet in the genre's back .
The picture was based on actual events , these are the following : At the war's end in 1865 , Jesse rode in to surrender and was shot and seriously wounded by a Union soldier . It is believed that Jesse took part in his first robbery in 1866 when a dozen men held up the bank in Liberty , Missouri . A bank cashier was killed in the raid and a reward was offered for each of the James brothers . In 1873 Jesse and his band derailed and robbed a train on the Rock Island line . Jesse married his cousin Zerelda , who bore him two children . Pinkerton detectives were contracted to chase Jesse and Frank , the agents surrounded the home , believing they to be there , tossed a bomb and the explosion killed Jesse's young half-brother . This outrage brought much sympathy for the brothers . On 1876 Jesse and Frank in company the three Younger Brothers , attempted a bank robbery at Northfield , Minnnesota , and walked in disaster . The alerted citizens opened fire on the raiders , of the eight bandits involved , three were killed and three Younger brothers were captured . On 3 April 1882 Bob Ford , a new member of the gang , treacherously shot Jesse dead in back of the head in his home at St Joseph , Missouri .
