American Outlaws review

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After acting his socks off in last year's Vietnam flick Tigerland, Colin Farrell obviously wanted to have some fun in this rumbustious comedy Western. Let's hope he enjoyed himself, since no one else is likely to get many laughs out of this steaming pile of cattle dung.

In the aftermath of the civil war, Jesse James (Farrell) leads a band of outlaws against the ruthless railroad company, determined to save the innocent farmers of Missouri from the implacable march of progress.

Throwing historical accuracy, excitement and any saving touch of irony to the prairie winds, American Outlaws is a travesty of a once-great genre. All the requisite whoring, cussing and bloody killing has been snipped in order to secure a box-office friendly certificate, and the result is a toothless blend of Bonanza and The A-Team - not what you want from a Western, even one aimed at the teen market. John Ford must be spinning in his grave.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

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