The Long Riders

Interesting western foucusing on the exploits of the infamous James-Younger gang. Action packed and with a fantastic final shootout, this film is hampered only by it's short run time (100 minutes). 20 to 30 more minutes of character development would have added a lot more emotional impact to the ending.

What I really like about this film is the slow-mo's. It features lots of high action, fast paced gunfights and its quite a tense and exciting watch and the slow-mo's just highlight this further. Some times its shown in real time and other times its slowed down but it shows the frantic nature of the events taking place in the scene at that time either way. I liked the way the local women talked to the various guys, held their ground. A good, somewhat old fashioned and violent at times Western.

The novel casting of real life brothers is more interesting than the film. The shoot outs are very well done--the use of slow motion recalls a less adventurous, although obviously skilled, version of Peckinpah--but dramatically it's a bit of a wash. The characters are mundane and there is no real perspective on them other than that they were mean and ignorant sons of bitches. If that's enough to qualify it as a 'revisionist Western', then that's an extremely low bar that it barely crosses.

Fantastic cast with some great photography makes this one comparable to the newer and more popular Jesse James film. A big hand also goes to the stunt coordinator (providing nobody was hurt bad) and stuntmen -- especially for the violent and bloody bank robbery scene.

Casting real-life brothers was a novel decision that made the story easier to follow. Ry Cooder's score is solid as always and some nice wilderness shots occasionally pop up. But the script is abjectly bland; the only memorable scenes are the James Remar scene and the Minnesota shootout. Unfortunately, James Keach is not a strong enough actor to carry an ensemble like this. If not for the big names and aspect ratio I'd have been sure it was a telefilm. Memorable only for the brother-casting.

The cast of a lifetime!

The story of the James-Younger gang is a popular one and in this version all of the brothers are played by actual brothers. The cast is an interesting one and the choices of actors work well to create for a further sense of brotherhood that can be read in between the lines. As far as the movie itself goes, for me it was a fairly average western. That scene with the horses and the window was pretty damn awesome, though.

atmosfer yaratmada ve son soygun/çatışmadaki gibi sahneler tasarlamada ne kadar iyi olsa da hill, bütünlüklü ve canlı bir anlatıyı her zaman yakalayamıyor. güçlü ensemble zaten tamam ama spesifik olarak keith carredine, walter hill ve ry cooder'ın bir western'de bir araya geliyor olmasından ister istemez doğan daha büyük ve eğlenceli bir film beklentisi pek karşılanmıyor.

A unique take on the Jesse James mythos, though the most interesting thing here is the use of four sets of real life brothers. They all do fine, so instead of feeling gimmicky it's quite effective in creating immersion and establishing bonds. The action scenes are really good too, but otherwise it can't take advantage of the performances and good individual scenes to build something more than the sum of its parts.

Viewed September 16, 2020.

Doesn't start too well, with lots of clichés and a scattered script, but the third act really kicks ass, especially that beautifully put together shootout. You can see where Milch found the inspiration for the mood of Deadwood. Though James Keach is just no good.

Feels modern for 1980, too dated for today. Honestly, with the filmmaking conventions of the era, something was just anachronistic feeling about this one. There's a lot of people who either liked this or we're at the very least tolerant of it, but I was not a fan. I was kinda bored.

Saw this a bunch of times through the 80s on cable. It was a good Western, and I liked the idea of casting real brothers as the various famous outlaw brothers; however, several of the actors were WAY too old for the part.

Never got rolling. Felt no real connection nor invested much interest in the characters. Generic and while not bad, there is no real reason to seek it out.

I had a good time with the first half which sustains an even mood. The protracted fight scene is where things become a bit unraveled. I also think the horses were having a shit time. Fascinating casting.

Good solid western with a great cast. I really like James Keach as Jesse-he has this look that could at times kill. Other times he seems to be a little dead around the eyes, as if he's seen some shit and clearly has. Having brothers play brothers was a great idea.

watchable tv fare.

So underrated. An elegant, sophisticated western that has no shame of being violent, bloody -- Peckinpah style; as Hill has pointed out, slowmos are meant to be dreamy, kind of nightmarish -- when it needs to, with some of the most beautifully choreographed shootouts -- bank robbery, train robbery -- and jaw-dropping stunts. Also, what is this cast? Goddam. This certainly deserves way more praise.

Westerns are not really my thing, but this one from Hill was pretty good. Special props for casting real brothers in all the main roles.

Entertaining and funny with great actors. Some of the scenes are well-made, but long shooting scenes are hell of a mess.

73.000

This is nowhere as contrived as some other Jesse James movies (I'm looking at you "The Asssassination of"), but nor is it as fun as some of the other early Walter Hill movies. For a serious movie it lacks depth, and the anti-hero protagonists are unlikable enough you want them dead, but not interesting or sympathetic enough to merit keeping them alive for an hour and a half of robberies and gunfights.

Excellent western, plays like a more down-to-earth Peckinpah, but without losing intensity. Very highly recomended.

At first I must say that the editor is a total amateur. Cool battle scenes loose their potential 'cause of bad timing of editing. The movie have some moments but mainly it's boring and the main role actors don't have charisma enough.

Has some cool stuff in it (kill shots, acting) as well as some awkward stuff (dialogue, acting, editing). imdb calls this a sympathetic portrayal. It's not. They're a bunch of assholes with a bunch of double standards, especially when it comes to the consequences of their actions, and giant egos. And weird faces. Some of em...mostly James Keach and Randy Quaid. :D The showdown is easily the coolest thing about this movie. That or Pamela Reed.

This may not be quite as fun as some of Walter Hill's other early outings but it does hit the right beats at the right times. The casting of brothers gives an authentic feel to film's quieter moments, which is contrasted to some pretty impressive stunt work in its chaotic shootouts. Hill channels Peckinpah with all his slow motion carnage.

ps69