The Long Riders: Walter Hill's Chronicle of the James-Younger Gang with Real Brothers in the Cast

In 1980, westerns weren’t riding high. Despite their popularity in the 60s and 70s, saturation and the rise of sci-fi (Star Wars) flatlined the genre.

The jingoistic, heroic exploits of John Wayne’s cowboys had been reformatted into the morally ambiguous (or downright amoral) gunslingers of Spaghetti westerns. But tales glorifying manifest destiny and white-hat, black-hat outlaws seemed a hard sell for post-Vietnam audiences re-examining America’s deeds.

Yet directors like Walter Hill still had affection for the western. As he told the Washington Post, “… There’s a kind of an idyllic quality that surrounds the shooting of them, it seems like a more fundamental film process, more to me what movies are about than clearing crowds off a city street.”

But 1980’s The Long Riders, on paper, strikes you as a gimmick more than an art piece.

A script that evolved from a play written by James and Stacey Keach (with Bill Bryden and Stephen Phillip Smith), the movie features four sets of real-life brothers in the cast – the Keaches, Carradines, Quads, and Guests.

While the familial casting sets the tone for a good-time buddy western, this film is anything but.

Slipping into an occasionally dreamlike state, The Long Riders is a gritty chronicling of the James-Younger gang’s robberies and private lives. It’s a historical 360 over the sepia-toned highlight reel.

But on its release, critics were mixed on the film, and audiences showed up about enough to make back its money (according to Stacey Keach). Yet today, the film holds a favorable 81% critical score (as of this writing) on the famous film site Rotten Tomatoes.

So is The Long Riders an often forgotten gem of a western marooned in a genre slump? Let’s find out.

The Plot of the Long Riders:

After the Civil War, former Confederate soldiers of the James-Younger gang rob banks and trains across the Midwestern United States.

Mr. Rixley (James Whitmore Jr.), a Pinkerton detective, takes on the task of hauling the criminals to justice.

Can the James-Younger gang evade the Pinkertons?

The Rest of the Main Cast Includes:

What’s Working Well Here:

Fun Casting, +2 Points

Casting four sets of brothers looks like a gimmick, but it’s a novel move that serves the film.

Family ties are central to the movie’s themes, and you can see the chemistry of actual blood relatives in the parts. And it helps the historical portrayal when all three Youngers (the Carradines) or Jameses (the Keaches) genuinely look alike.

Randy Quad’s Clell Miller and Dennis Quad’s Ed Miller are the most interesting choices. Randy, perhaps most famous for his role as buffoon Cousin Eddie (National Lampoon’s Vacation and Christmas Vacation), is, this time around, the more capable of the siblings.

But among these leading and character actors, the film’s standout performance belongs to David Carradine. His Cole Younger, complete with mustache and long hair, has the absolute swagger of an outlaw. Sarcastic and Brave, Cole could lead the gang if he wasn’t too busy playing cards and flirting.

Entire Gang Focus, +2 Points

While other film adaptations of the James-Younger gang have been centered around Jesse James, the film offers a rounded portrait of the group.

Not having done the tedious work to verify it, Frank, Jesse, and Cole get the most screen time. But many scenes are devoted to Ed, Clell, Jim, and Bob.

The rounded portrait lets the characters be more than fodder for Jesse’s legend. We learn about their love interests, internal struggles, and the group’s dynamics.

Cole and Belle’s Romance, +2 Points

Cole and real-life outlaw Belle Star have an on-again, off-again flirting relationship throughout the film. Neither wants to tie each other down genuinely nor can they keep away from each other, should they end up in the same place.

Pamela Reid (Kindergarten Cop) and Carradine have a clear and obvious chemistry, each trying to outdo the other with the next barb or retort.

The film has other romances, but they don’t offer this level of fun.

Gunfights, Knife Fights, and Harrowing Escapes, +3 Points

**Minor Spoiler Alerts Here**

Hill is an action director and friend/collaborator of the legendary Sam Peckinpah. And similar to Peckinpah’s style, the combat frequently turns to slow motion, emphasizing the carnage.

When Cole runs into Belle in Texas, her husband, Sam Starr (Hill regular James Remar), takes significant exception to his attention. And Belle, being Belle, stirs the pot more than calls off the dogs.

What ensues is a very Walter-Hill film way of settling the dispute. If you’re familiar with the sledgehammer battle that ends Streets of Fire, you know he likes a mano-o-mano faceoff when the opportunity strikes.

The novelty here is that both men are challenged to fight with one end of Belle’s stocking chomped between their teeth, keeping them tethered at close range (strangely like the fight in Michael Jackson’s Beat It music video). It’s the kind of touch that elevates a dull barroom knife fight into a high-stakes showpiece.

But the Northfield Bank robbery escape epitomizes the film’s violence. It’s not the scale of the D-day beach raid in Saving Private Ryan, but it’s four-and-a-half minutes of its own brand of chaos.

As the gang shoots frantically and takes heavy fire, you can’t tell which way is out or further into the hail of bullets. But with its heavy use of slow motion whenever a character is hit, it induces a nightmare quality and some surprisingly gory moments, like the bullet that flies in one character’s cheek and out the other.

As riders are thrown from horses, the stunt work must have been as dangerous as it looks.

And the surrealism hits its highest point with the you’ll-never-see-this-again without-CGI moment where the horses and riders crash through building glass to escape.

Though it’s over-the-top with the slow motion, the film’s violence is hard-hitting and realistic – fitting for a historical portrait.

Visually Stunning Locations, +2 Points

With an impressive visual style, the film effectively transports you back to the post-Civil War period.

Locations like Parrot or Leary, Georgia, needed limited modifications to roll back the years, like covering the road with dirt or touching up the buildings.

And while “western” brings to mind the dusty Great Plains or sandy deserts of New Mexico, this film gives way to rolling green fields or tree-lined forests.

The opening credits, set to the backdrop of Ry Cooder’s vintage-sounding score, are long shots of the gang riding in green fields in slow motion, interspersed with fading transitions.

What’s Not Working So Well:

Slow as Molasses, -3 Points

The story starts with the literal bang of a robbery but unfolds how and when it wants to.

Languid pacing is fine if you believe in the destination, but the plot doesn’t hint at its eventual direction. Much time is spent following characters in their drinking and whoring or earnestly courting downtime. The actions serve the plot but can feel aimless.

Eventually, the Pinkertons arrive and kick things into trouble, moving things along.

A Portrayal that Lacks the Commentary, -4 Points

While the film wraps itself around actual events and takes the audience into the whole dynamics of the group, it doesn’t take a stance about the James-Younger gang.

It was a tricky line to walk. It’s refreshing that the film doesn’t have the tone of an exuberant 80s western like Young Guns (works for that film) and grounds itself in only somewhat exaggerated realism. But it holds back too much, not opening up past the gang’s actions.

It could have dived into the James-Younger gang’s perception in the public’s eyes. It could have tackled how Southerner soldiers were supposed to deal with the loss in the Civil War.

The film only glosses over the reason behind the gang’s formation and crimes, seeming to say the war is what made them who they are, but in no great detail.

Some films can thrive on hinting at theories and letting the audience fill in the gaps, but this isn’t one of them.

Should I Watch The Long Riders?

Total Arbitrary Points Score: 4 Points

The Long Riders is an elegant movie that explodes into slow-motion bloodbaths.

Set in gorgeous locations, it focuses on an all-around portrait of the James-Younger gang, portrayed by real-life family members for added believability.

David Carradine’s performance shines, and Cole Younger’s romance with Belle Starr gives the movie the lighthearted moments it needs for balance.

But the film only treads water where it could offer historical insight, showing the story of the James-Younger gang without telling you what the tale means. It’s a quiet yet violent movie that somehow makes too little noise.

Still, if you’re a fan of classic westerns, The Long Riders may be worth your time. Its visuals and expertly directed shootouts won’t leave you wanting.

But casual, modern film fans may get frustrated with the pacing and serpentine story.

The Long Riders is rated R and was directed by Walter Hill.

You can watch it free on TubiTV or rent it from other streaming sites.

You can watch the trailer here.

Disclaimer:

The factual information about the film in this review was gathered through online sources, such as Wikipedia, IMDB, or interviews. Misrepresentations and errors are possible but unintentional.

The Long Riders: Walter Hill’s Chronicle of the James-Younger Gang with Real Brothers in the Cast