The Newton Boys (1998) User Reviews

Fine gangster film with a cowboy tint

[Vartiainen · 6/10 · 24 July 2015]

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.

Linklater's surprising but not altogether successful step into genre

[Chris Knipp · 7/10 · 12 June 2009]

I watched this on DVD because it was recommended by Jonathan Rosenbaum on his ten-best list for the year, and the cast interested me, especially D'Onofrio and Skeet Ulrich. This confirms my admiration of the under-seen Ulrich, who's the doubting, conscience-stricken brother. His uneasiness stands out against the tedious good-old-boy jollity of the others. That shtick is a little too easy to do, and I don't think it gets the Twenties quite right, really. Rosenbaum is a great film critic but his end of the year recommendations are not always to be trusted, which makes you wonder about how written-in-stone his 1000 films list is. He also said that since the expansive images were a big part of the pleasure of the movie he didn't know how good it would be on DVD.

Gosh, was it really so easy to rob a bank in those days? The way some of the robberies go makes it look like it was all a cinch, but surely they'd be scared sometimes because you still stood to go to jail for it, maybe for a good long time. Actually it was easy to robe banks with square-doored safes, and it isn't so hard to hold up a little bank today.

This is surprising from Linklater not only because of the step into genre, but because of his willingness to glorify and simplify his good-boy/bad-boy crew. Where are the tormented and confused guys of his stoner movies? Matthew McConaughey certainly does rise to the challenge with a spirited and enthusiastic performance, but all his moments are still clichés. Hawke similarly grins and giggles in a quite shallow way. His character is not well defined and D'Onofiro, arguably the best actor of the bunch, is wasted. Statistically the Newton bank robbers were remarkable, but Ebert may be right that they are less famous than Dillinger or Bonnie and Clyde because they were too "respectable," i.e., dull. The screenplay lacks an angle, other than the glib one of boys on a lark, which fails to convince, and even when things go wrong, lacks a tragic dimension.

The action is desultory, lacking a strong focus on character or action or any guiding principle. Hence comparison with 'Bonnie and Clyde,' or more dashing adventures in the same vein like 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' or 'The Sting,' simply isn't really possible. This isn't in the same league. It utterly pales in comparison to European robbery films like 'Rififi' or the recent 'Mesrine' gangster epic starring Vincent Cassel. Only the few moments with Dwight Yoakam as Brentwood Glasscock, the brothers' explosives expert, provide a welcome 'Rififi'-like hint of bank-robbing as a challenging activity requiring certain skills and techniques.

This is not to say you can't have fun watching. These young actors are in their physical prime, and that includes the ladies, notably the handsome-looking Julianna Margulies as McConaughey's girlfriend. The period flavor is sometimes ripe and tasty. The production is very good-looking, and there is some nice cinematography: a silhouetted image of the mail train the Newton brothers are about to rob is particularly cool. The whole cadre things are set in, including the jaunty music, is conventional, but it's undeniably fun. The movie's a little long, but the climactic later scenes are involving. But still, this is very far from Linklater at his best, and Rosenbaum ought to admit he erred in ranking it so high.

Tremendous cast, good, but not great, historical narrative

[elainew32 · 6/10 · 15 August 2003]

In a way, it seems like a waste to gather Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Skeet Ulrich, and Vincent D'Onofrio for this movie, because they should've been able to do something great, although, if it weren't for them, it would have been boring. It is a straightforward assembly of the facts of the incredible run of 80 bank robberies by the Newton brothers. Then they go for the big one, a train robbery of Federal Reserve funds. It is entertaining, but I was most entertained during the running of the credits. Over to the left, they show clips of Joe Newton at about age 79, on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, interspersed with film clips of an interview with Willis Newton in his 80's, both giving their views of what it was like and how they felt about what they had done. After seeing Hollywood's version of their lives, it was interesting to see what they were like in old age.

Lesser Linklater, still a solid entertainment.

[bobsgrock · 5 January 2013]

Though not on par with some of his more noted works such as Dazed and Confused or Before Sunrise, The Newton Boys is still a noteworthy film by Richard Linklater, focusing on the all-to-real story of the four Newton brothers from Ulvade, Texas who ended up robbing over eighty banks and a train in just four years before finally being arrested and imprisoned in 1924.

What Linklater does here that is most interesting is his use of music and detached style of shooting. Nearly all of the music on the soundtrack consists of blues-infused, upbeat country style which is consistent with the setting of this movie but not necessarily the tone. There is a dark underlying element to this story, most notably in the evolution of the main character Willis, played so wonderfully and engagingly by Matthew McConaughey it makes one shake their head as to why he would continue to make useless romantic comedies these days. Willis begins the film as bright, optimistic, a loyal son and brother but upset about the way justice is mistreated in south Texas. Determined to right this wrong, he becomes enamored with the idea of robbing banks, justifying it by claiming that the banks are the real thieves and his form of stealing would simply be a little thief taking from a big one.

Though many of the subsequent scenes are nothing original in this genre, simply derivative of Bonnie and Clyde or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the four leads are all very engaging and likable, especially McConaughey and Ethan Hawke. Linklater keeps the audience at a distance with the use of the awkward music and the lack of character depth. In many cases, the supporting cast is simply that rather than an opportunity to reflect the brothers' view of their lives and worldview. Nevertheless, the film is as a whole better than the most recent of its kind. It has an innocent-like quality to it thanks to the fervent belief of Willis Newtown: doing this was simply a way to make money and for that reason there was no reason for them to stop.

"We're thieves stealing from bigger thieves."

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 5 May 2013]

Fans of the Director will probably be disappointed in this rather straight telling of the Real-Life, dirt poor Bank Robbers. There is a colorful often made story of Anti-Heroes waiting to be told here, but for some reason, while engaging and fun this Movie kind of disappoints and at the same time is a somewhat amusing, if not a terribly interesting misfire.

Here the talented and usually off-kilter Director has been restrained by the conventions of the Genre. It is all handled with taste and is a tactful representation of likable Criminals who never killed anybody, but they did rob 80 banks. That in itself is a feat worthy of any Comic Book Character.

There is a standout cast and the Movie looks great. But in the end it kind of loses momentum, but is never completely unworthy of the gist it created. Not a bad diversion and is Worth a Watch as a rather lightweight entertainment that will let down more viewers than it captures. A bit different and deserves more credit than criticism.

Robbing Banks is Good?

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 11 November 2020]

The Newton Boys were a colorful collection of brothers who robbed banks. In this bizarro world I think we're supposed to be inspired by Willis (Matthew McConaughey, Joe (Skeet Ulrich), Jess (Ethan Hawke), and Doc Newton (Vincent D'Onofrio). They managed to rob countless banks and pull off the biggest train robbery in U.S. history, all without killing anyone. Bravo... I guess.

Linklater...He knows how to do it

[jpschapira · 7/10 · 27 July 2005]

"The Newton Boys" begins as an old movie, with old wasted colors, kind of black and white. This is the way we meet the players (what actually are the actors), and together with a very happy music (that also seemed old), the credits are simple; maybe boring. "If the movie is in black and white, I won't watch it", said my friend Matías. In fact, the movie started and it was in colors, and very nice colors by the way.

We see Willis Newton (Matthew McConaughey) and before we notice we are in Texas; with the horses, ranches, and the cowboys that always seem good people when they mostly do bad things. Maybe it is because we love to hear them talking, and the cast of this movie is very convincing in that aspect. Soon Willis encounters two younger guys, riding some difficult horses. These are Jesse and Joe Newton (Ethan Hawke and Skeet Ulrich), also cowboys and Willis' brothers. Now we're living the true story of the Newton Brothers.

With the help of Brentwood Glasscock (Dwight Yoakam), alias Glass, and later with the last brother Dock's (Vincent D'Onofrio) collaboration, Willis and his gang robbed a lot of banks and one train that got them to their end. Well, not their end because, unlike any regular cowboy, the Newtons reached ages surpassing the 70 years.

With his writing partners, director Richard Linklater created his adapted vision of the story, located in the pages of Claude Stanush's book. His own vision of these enchanting cowboys that made up stories to beautiful women, drank a lot and lived a full life. Stanush, Linklater and Clark Walter achieved something wild in terms of screenplay, because I'm not sure if a man could live the situations these characters experience, but who knows? In other cowboy movies like "American Outlaws" these things occur, and it's all about the characters. In "Outlaws" it was the excellent Colin Farrell, now it is a whole talented ensemble.

I'm a fan of Richard Linklater's work. And admirer of his camera, settings, colors...The respect he has for his colorful characters, without caring how surreal they can be at times, when he is telling a real story. Led by McConaughey's Willis (who makes a more charismatic leading man than Farrell), usual in Linklater's filmography, Ethan Hawke follows, in good shape as always; he commits more with Linklater than with any director. Then we have a gifted Skeet Ulrich in one of his most natural and charming performances; he isn't getting many jobs today, but here it was a great work. As always, Vincent D'Onofrio sticks to what is requested of him. It is also to notice Dwight Yoakam's efforts, in his most remarkable appearance; now I won't forget about him. Everyone else fulfills, and the women I was talking about, Louise Brown has an important part, played convincingly by the always good Julianna Margulies.

It was some weeks ago, that a friend of mine told me he did a work about a director's filmography. He had chosen Woody Allen. I hadn't done the work, but he asked me: "Who would you choose?". "Richard Linklater", I answered.

Nicely Filmed & Better Than Anticipated

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 6 November 2006]

This was a pretty interesting based-on-a-true story account of a bunch of brothers who robbed more than 80 banks in the early 1920s. One thing for sure: it's better than the critics would have you believe. Oddly enough, it drags a bit near the end overall retained interest for most of the two hours. It is nicely filmed with good 1920s sets and music.

Matthew McConaughey is easily the star of this as the mastermind of the group, and he's the most interesting character of the Newton boys. He had a strange, funny smile in this role. I had to laugh out loud a few times looking at it. Some bad news: no one else here is likable and there is way too much usage of the Lord's name in vain.

I do agree with the critics that something is missing here, something that prevents it from being rated higher. Note: two of the actual robbers are shown in 1980 interviews, one on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson! In the other interview, the thief still sees nothing wrong with what he did! Amazing.

Gathering cool cash beats pickin' cotton.

[michaelRokeefe · 5/10 · 25 September 2004]

History is history and Hollywood is well...Hollywood. This is a fact-based drama that chronicles the exploits of the bank robbing Newton brothers(Matthew McConaughey, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ethan Hawke and Skeet Ulrich)who robbed over eight banks from Texas to Toronto in the 20's and 30's. Along with them a friend(Dwight Yoakam)who knew his way with nitro.This makes for exciting explosions on screen with clouds of money to go with gunshot blasts and whining getaway cars. The prolonged career in crime is capped off with a three million dollar mail train heist outside Chicago. This finally landed the boys in a court room and behind bars. By all means don't walk out on the closing credits for you get to find out what happened to each of the principle players. Also in the cast are: Julianna Margulies, Charles Gunning, Chloe Webb and Casey McAuliffe. There is the claim that the Newton boys never killed a soul during their robbing the bigger thieves...the banks.

Hidden History

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 16 December 2014]

The story of the Newton gang, the most successful bank robbers in history, thanks to their good planning and minimal violence.

Although I am more well-versed than the average person on organized crime and the gangster era, I confess I had not heard of the Newton Gang prior to watching this film. This may be because they were from Texas, which falls outside of traditional history... but either way, this is a hole that needs rectifying.

The film is excellent. Apparently reviews were mixed and it did not do very well, today considered one of Richard Linklater's failures. That is a shame, because it has a solid cast (even a rarely-seen Skeet Ulrich) and a fun, adventurous plot. Hopefully following the Oscar buzz with "Boyhood" (2014), people will go back and revisit some of Linklarer's work. It is not all amazing, but most of it is worth checking out.

Rerun for two hours

[daviddarabian · 2/10 · 18 October 2022]

"It's too dangerous, Willis" "We're gonna do it." "Dang, Willis. Okay!" This scene is basically repeated for two hours. Good thing is you can take a break and don't miss a thing. The cast isn't great either, the dynamic and even the genre just don't fit. It's like having Billy-Bob Thornton, Denzel Washington and Sean Connery play Hobbit brothers in Lord of the Rings. Good individually and talented but not for the part and not as a group. Putting the cast and the plot aside what's further missing is character build-up, the relationship between Willis and his lady, or Willis and his brothers, nothing. I'm sad to say that this movie is just a hotpot of failure.

A Guilty Pleasure...

[nickelreviews · 10/10 · 17 June 2013]

This was loosely based on the "most successful bank robbers of all time". It was one of the many collaborations Matthew McConaughey did with director Richard Linklater. Much like all the film versions of Dillinger, The Newton Boys has car chases, bank robberies, explosions, partying, love triangles, etc. All the elements that add drama and excitement to a film that I enjoy. Again, this film was panned critically and commercially, but again I don't care. Everyone I've introduced to the movie too, has enjoyed it. There is a cool scene during the closing credits too which shows miscellaneous interviews with all the Newton Brothers featuring one with Johnny Carson and the youngest Newton Boy and the last living at the time of the interview in the early 80's. Reviewed by AN/NR 11-14-11

Great director. Great cast. Average movie.

[Condemned-Soul · 6/10 · 6 July 2021]

'The Newton Boys' has a compelling, fact-based story at its core about America's most successful and non-violent bank robbers, but its impact is curtailed by an uneven tone.

The music is the main culprit here, often jovial during the action and clearly intending the experience to be a light and entertaining crime caper with comic elements thrown in; it doesn't want a heavy atmosphere rife with jeopardy for its audacious young cowboy protagonists - it wants to be a good old-fashioned yarn.

But then this clashes with some serious scenes and conversations: a supporting character, for example, might be in tears as they express fear over the future and regret for they're complicity, but it never rings true for us as the audience because of the tonal inconsistencies. The film's pivotal moments - though watchable - are diluted as a result.

Overall, if 'The Newton Boys' had delivered a serious treatment of the real-life story, then this could have been a powerful period drama about greed. As it is, it's a passable diversion in the company of Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Skeet Ulrich, and Vincent D'Onofrio.

6/10.

Charisma isn't king

[StevePulaski · 4/10 · 15 April 2015]

Richard Linklater, as a writer and director, loves to let his characters breathe while on screen and confine them to a day's worth of events. However, with The Newton Boys, he attempts to infuse his laidback style with a true crime caper, concerning the Newton Gang, a group of four brothers who robbed banks in the United States during Prohibition. He conducts the film in an episodic manner, devoting over two hours to these brothers, their robberies, and their schemes by simply allowing their conversations to prevail and the charm of the actors to carry the film.

The ringleader of the gang is Willis Newton, played by Matthew McConaughey, a suave, smooth-talker who maps out these heists. His brothers are the amiable ladies man Jess (Ethan Hawke), the lovable softy Dock (Vincent D'Onofrio), and the youngest and wiliest Joe (Skeet Ulrich). In addition, the brothers seek the help of Brentwood Glasscock (country singer Dwight Yoakam) to help blow the safes of banks with ample amounts of nitroglycerine. The Newton's work under a simple code of conduct, which states they won't kill, they won't harm or rob any women or children, and they won't snitch.

Immediately, what The Newton Boys lacks is the element of perspective. Examining successful biopics of recent time, like Jersey Boys and The Wolf of Wall Street, both films benefited from the perspective of many of their individuals, particularly Jersey Boys, which showed how one story was told with bias from each of the band members. Despite spending two hours with these brothers, we feel like we're hanging out with them more than we're being told their story or learning of the men themselves. The brothers never transcend past caricatures, and Linklater's energy level and interest in these characters seems greatly diminished, especially considering his last several films.

The irony with Linklater and The Newton Boys is here's a film about bank robbers running from the law, and it manages to be less interesting than Linklater's formal directorial debut Slacker, which focused for no more than five minutes on a single character and Before Sunrise, which simply featured two characters walking and talking. Linklater's investment in his characters is noted with every film I've seen from him, but here, it's as if he's within arm's length of his characters at all times, never gravitating towards them to learn about them, despite the glacial-pace of the film. The conversations between the men reiterate tired ideas describing how robbing the banks isn't a bad thing because they're essentially stealing from insurance companies, so clearly, stealing isn't so bad. These conversations undermine the titular characters, and the coffin-sealing nail is no perspective is ever provided on these men to show how we're supposed to view them.

So The Newton Boys drags on without much energy, like someone who worked a forty-five hour week and begrudgingly took on a twelve hour shift to follow it up. As it meanders and rifts around, it manages to drain the energy out of us, the audience, as well, and we're left with a film that's lifeless and impotent, two traits I never thought I'd associate with Linklater. All the pieces are here aesthetically, with the costumes, the music, and the aura of the Roaring 20's all captured with visual flair, and the four young leading men prove they have charisma, but at the end of the day, that's all they have, and a film about bank robbers needs more than that.

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Skeet Ulrich, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Dwight Yoakam. Directed by: Richard Linklater.

Big time crooks settle in small time Uvalde, TX.

[TxMike · 11 February 2002]

What makes "The Newton Boys" so interesting is that it is based on a predominantly true story. Lead by Willis Newton (Matthew McConaughey, a Texan) who had big dreams of drilling for oil in the boom years after WW I, the 4 brothers used explosives to crack open safes all over the USA and Canada and robbed the banks. Willis' rationale, "We're helping to keep insurance companies in business. If there are no bank robberies then there will be no need for insurance." For reasons I don't understand at all, round safes cannot be opened like rectangular safes, so they eventually had to resort to train robbery. They were eventually caught, tried, and convicted. After serving a little time (max. 5 years) most of them retired to Uvalde, Texas, a small town west of San Antonio and in the "texas Hill Country" so popular with motorcyclists. Most of them lived long lives and died in Uvalde.

Julianna Margolies was excellent as Willis' love interest. They eveidently stayed together into old age, even though they never married.

Pretty good film.

I enjoyed this film there were some nice touches in it

[Dee-55 · 7/10 · 18 July 1999]

I watched this film on video at home and really enjoyed it. It is not available in the UK so I got an NTSC version sent over from the states. Many other people have commented on how like Bonnie and Clyde and Butch Cassidy it was. The film it reminded me of was The Sting. On the whole I enjoyed the performances of all the actors but was particularly surprised by Dwight Yoakam. There were two particular moments of his performance that struck me. One being the first view we got of the Nitro and the little comments about Avis liking it kept under the bed. The other being when a bottle of nitro falls from his pocket in the train, he catches it with his foot. This man can act as well as sing! His delivery of the lines and his facial expressions were good. I totally believed in the geeky character Dwight Yoakam portrayed. I saw him in Sling Blade and was impressed but had not seen any other performances so how could I judge? Time to start listening to his music I think. I felt the story began to wander towards the end of the film and I have seen better. Mind you I have seen a lot worse! Not a bad night's entertainment.

Mens! Mens! Mens! And the chick from E.R!

[dharbigt-28632 · 6/10 · 5 May 2021]

Plot: 5 (Bank Robberin') Diction: 7 (Charming) Character: 4 (Not much going on here) Extension: 9 (True story) Spectacle: 7 (Whee-ha!) Overall: 6.4

Here's a passable action-style good-old-boys bank-robbin' round-up that stays pretty consistently interesting all the way through. The major conflict (aside from the boys trying not to get caught) seems to be between Willis (Matthew McConaughey), and his brother Joe (Skeet Ulrich). Joe, the closest to law-abiding the family seems to get, is perennially hesitant to participate in the heists. Willis, on the other hand, as the convict brother, is the main impetus behind them. The conflict doesn't really go anywhere, but it's fun to watch.

Especially interesting are the real-life pieces during the credits. Joe Newton's interviewed on the Tonight Show starting Johnny Carson, and and old home movie of Willis Newton, posed against each other in sentiment. You can see Joe's regret and admission that perhaps he was a bit too crazy, while Willis' film is full of the same wild-eyed lawlessness that is portrayed in the movie.

There's quite a few funny parts, and Dwight Yoakam, though he doesn't sing any songs (I think I'm glad for this) does a surprisingly good job as the likeable and rational Glasscock.

Overall, it's a high-energy look at some friendly, funny and well-written vehicle for watching some bank heist scenes.

"This is a hell of a way to make a livin' ain't it."

[swellframe17 · 6/10 · 2 July 2014]

2 1/2 out of 4 stars.

In 2014, it feels like the gangster film has hit a plateau. The last major thing to influence the gangster genre was TV show "The Sopranos." The last films to make an impact on the gangster genre were Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas." Now, though, we have a lot of films that repeat what these great films did, but don't push it forward. Richard Linklater's 1998 film "The Newton Boys" is one of these repeats.

"The Newton Boys" is a typical gangster film. It felt like the filmmakers made a checklist of everything a gangster film needed and checked them all off, but it didn't push the film anywhere it hadn't been before. You have your stock characters: the charming gangster (Matthew McConaughey), the fun gangster (Ethan Hawke), the pessimistic gangster (Skeet Ulrich), the brute force (Vincent D'Onofrio), the brains (Dwight Yoakam), the love interest (Julianna Marguiles), and the cops. All the actors play them decently, but that's about it.

There's the action, the romance, and the stylish gangster life, but it feels kind of flat or stale. This film doesn't feel like a Linklater film. Sure, McConoaughey and Hawke are Linklater regulars, but there's no long tracking shots, philosophical discussions, or witty humor. The film doesn't feel as personal.

The redeeming quality to this film, though, is how it feels like an ode or tribute to the classic gangster films, like "The Public Enemy" (look at the opening credits and style of the film), "Bonnie and Clyde" (look at them having fun robbing banks and the bluegrass music), "The Godfather" trilogy (look at the themes of family and brothers), and "Goodfellas" (look at the characters as punks with nothing left to lose and the theme of betrayal). "The Newton Boys" feels like a summary of all the gangster films before it, which interested me. "The Sopranos" would begin soon after this and push the gangster genre forward.

"The Newton Boys" is a fun little tribute to gangster films. It sheds light on who the Newton family was and their uniqueness in the crime world, but it doesn't bring as much originality to the gangster films. It has its moments, but the film is neither the best of Linklater's or the gangster genre.

An updated Bonnie & Clyde

[Big Dave-2 · 6/10 · 6 September 1998]

Although these characters are supposed to be real, the film is a direct copy of Bonnie & Clyde. Another case of repetition being the sincerest form of flattery!! Well acted, and at least it moves.

Boring!

[Melrosemiss · 2/10 · 26 June 2019]

This may, without a doubt, be the most boring movie I have ever seen.

lacks intensity

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 18 December 2015]

It's 1919 Texas. After three years of incarceration for stealing, Willis Newton (Matthew McConaughey) gets into robbing banks and recruits his brothers Joe (Skeet Ulrich) and Jess (Ethan Hawke) into the business. Joe is reluctant, wanting clean living. Brentwood Glasscock (Dwight Yoakam) is the explosive expert. They are joined by escape convict brother Dock (Vincent D'Onofrio). Willis takes a liking to single mom Louise Brown (Julianna Margulies).

Director Richard Linklater is trying his hand at a different genre. He doesn't bring any intensity or edginess. It feels a bit lightweight. He's able to up his visual game but it's not good enough. It's almost a throwback to an earlier film era but it doesn't have the drama. These actors are all individually good. This could be a great movie if Linklater gets a darker edge.

The Newtons of Uvalde

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 7 February 2017]

In the tradition of such as the James, Daltons, and Doolins of the previous century, the Newton Brothers who hailed from Uvalde, Texas were more in that tradition as they robbed banks and such throughout the middle part of the USA in the post World War I years. The Newtons are played by Matthew McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich, Ethan Hawke, and Vincent D'Onofrio. Watching them on the screen I kept thinking of that theme from the Dukes Of Hazard, "just some good old boys, meaning no harm".

Especially McConaughey who is the leader and brains of the outfit. He just oozes country boy charm. It serves him in very good stead when the Newtons are standing before the bar of justice. It also serves him well in courting Julianna Margulies who in that other country tradition stands by her man though she has to do some thinking on it.

Like the other family outlaw gangs of the west, the Newtons had their associates, though for them none like Bob Ford. Like the James Brothers they tried to switch to trains. It was that switch to trains that led to their downfall and a close call for one of the brothers. For the Newtons that train robbery was the equivalent of what happened to the James gang after the Northfield, Minnesota bank job. One of them nearly doesn't make it.

No one was ever killed during a Newton caper a fact that stood them in good stead at trial. The sentencing hearing with McConaughey is also outstanding.

I liked Vincent D'Onofio who is the most rebellious of the brothers. He'd be going the outlaw way even without family support.

The Newton Boys does very well in depicting post World War I in rural America. American agriculture after the boom of World War prices for food abroad and for the troops never shared in the Roaring Twenties boom for the city folk. This film depicts that fact very well.

The four players who depict the Newtons and the rest of the cast are set perfectly in their roles. One thing about the Newtons I have to say is that the film is done with style in the way they did their crimes.

The Newton Boys

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 28 August 2023]

Richard Linklater has tried hard with his cast here, but somehow this tale of the real life Newton gang whose criminal career culminated in one of America's most infamous train robberies just doesn't catch fire - at all. Matthew McConaughey (Willis) leads his brothers Jess (Ethan Hawke), Joe (Sweet Ulrich) and the scene stealing Vincent D'Onofrio (Dock) as the young men conclude - with the complicity of their mother (Gail Cronauer) that they don't need to live in rural penury for ever, and that with some meticulous planning they can accrue a considerable fortune without harming anyone but by robbing the railroad. Sadly, though, the actors don't really gel - they are four men who seem to be vying for screen time as much as anything else; there is little evidence of a team on screen which rather belies the truth about why this gang were at all successful. It does move a long apace, though - there is plenty of gun action and some fun pyrotechnics as their antics gain momentum and their targets become bigger. Historically, the ending is quite interesting - and I think quite suitable, though I very much doubt the railroad saw it that way. It's watchable, the production is fine and the dialogue is quite lively at times, but in the end, the sum of the parts just doesn't make for much of an whole. Disappointing.

The worst movie I ever paid money to see at the cinema!

[Maw7391 · 1/10 · 4 November 2002]

Pitiful! I walked out of this movie and chastised my roommate for having dragged me to it! The thirty minutes that I saw showed no acting whatsoever. All it showed was a bunch of young actors that look good to chicks acting like a bunch of country hicks a "whoopin' and a hollerin'".

MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED

[jmorrison-2 · 19 June 2002]

This movie was much better than I expected. Interesting true story told of a band of unusual bank robbers. Almost gentlemen bandits, if you will. McConnaughey, Ulrich, Hawke, and D'Onofrio do a great job with the brother's characters. The end credits are definitely worth watching this for.