The Newton Boys tells the story of Willis, Joe, Jess and Dock Newton, four brothers who become some of the most notorious bank and train robbers the history of America has ever seen. And they're based on real life events and people, making it all the more exciting.
What really keeps this movie afloat are the actors. McConaughey, Ulrich, Hawke and D'Onofrio are all versatile and personable actors, breathing life into their characters by their sheer presence. The story is told largely from McConaughey's point of view and it's actually one of his better performances and fits his usual mannerisms perfectly, unlike in some other movies where they are somewhat distracting.
The plot is also entertaining, though because it's based on real life it ends up being somewhat repetitive until the final third when the big twists start rolling. Not that the first two acts aren't interesting, but they don't raise the stages the same way a fictional story would. It's not a huge problem, but it's noticeable, especially if you've seen a lot of gangster films.
In the end The Newton Boys is well worth a watch if you're into the idea that sometimes real life is more exciting than any movie and/or if you're looking for a good gangster/robber movie to check out.
