The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972)

***Deglamorization of the Old West***

Phillip Kaufman's "The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid" details the final bank heist of the James-Younger Gang in 1876, which was an epic failure for the infamous bunch.

The tone is equal parts raw realism and parody; you could almost call it a Western black comedy with similarities to Altman’s contemporaneous “McCabe & Mrs. Miller.” So, if you liked that one you’ll probably favor this as well, although “McCabe” is the superior film. For a fuller and more austere detailing of the James-Younger Gang, not to mention all-around better Western, check out Walter Hill's "The Long Riders."

Jesse James is played by the great Robert Duvall, who was only 40yo at the time. Interestingly, Jesse takes a backseat to Cole Younger here, played by Cliff Robertson. These actors and the other principles do a fine job. The film is expertly made with some genuinely amusing moments. Meanwhile the story is moderately engrossing, but it meanders too much.

Adding insult to injury, it deglamorizes the wild West, making it ugly, idiotic, silly and almost profane. By Contrast, "American Outlaws" details the James-Younger Gang's first year or two in action and makes the Old West fun, heroic and larger-than-life while "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is a serious Western drama, almost funereal.

Yet another issue is the southwest Oregon locations of Jacksonville and Gold Hill, which are fine, but a far cry from the real-life Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota.

It was shot in late 1970 and runs 1h 31m.

GRADE: C+