With an amnesty vote pending in the Missouri legislature, a last attempt to nab the James-Younger gang leaves Cole Younger (Cliff Robertson) gravely wounded, prompting Jesse James (Robert Duvall) to try his luck at a lucrative out-of-state bank job, leaving Cole worried about his amnesty and hot on his trail.
Indicative of Hollywood in the early seventies, this is slick, glib entertainment that takes a few shots at the establishment, though writer/director Philip Kaufman manages to do so without becoming smug and self-righteous (Robert Altman cough, cough), while remaining amusing and clever throughout and delivering a few good action scenes.
Robertson (who also produced) portrays Younger as the real brains of the gang and plays him with a grin and a twinkle in his eye, while Duvall's Jesse is half-crazed and ignorant, though with a quick wit and a devil-may-care attitude that brings to mind his characters in Joe Kidd and Apocalypse Now.
Great character actors like R.G. Armstrong, Royal Dano and Elisha Cook Jr. are always a welcome sight, while Luke Askew (who's third-billed despite never uttering a word!) went on to play a pivotal role in Frank And Jesse, another Jesse James movie a couple decades later.
Indicative of Hollywood in the early seventies, this is slick, glib entertainment that takes a few shots at the establishment, though writer/director Philip Kaufman manages to do so without becoming smug and self-righteous (Robert Altman cough, cough), while remaining amusing and clever throughout and delivering a few good action scenes.
Robertson (who also produced) portrays Younger as the real brains of the gang and plays him with a grin and a twinkle in his eye, while Duvall's Jesse is half-crazed and ignorant, though with a quick wit and a devil-may-care attitude that brings to mind his characters in Joe Kidd and Apocalypse Now.
Great character actors like R.G. Armstrong, Royal Dano and Elisha Cook Jr. are always a welcome sight, while Luke Askew (who's third-billed despite never uttering a word!) went on to play a pivotal role in Frank And Jesse, another Jesse James movie a couple decades later.