I couldn't agree more with the first reviewer. This is one of the most UNDERRATED WESTERNS, ever. First, the cast. It's the only full length feature film to my knowledge that utilized the unique acting efforts of the top four acting families in the business—the Carradines, the Keachs, and the Quaids, including Christopher and Nicholas Guest, all in their prime, and all superbly suited to portray the members of the most infamous gang of post-Civil War brigands and thieves of the era, the James Gang and the Youngers. But to have a truly great Western, you must first have a great director, and it doesn't get any better than Walter Hill. And you can't have a great film without a script, and this one was first-rate, perfectly realized and fitting this modern day classic to a "tee." In fact, this film is so good that it easily takes it rightful place among the Ten Best movies of the genre. Among the wonderful cast of character actors, incidentally, is a superb portrayal of the famous saloon girl Belle Starr, played to perfection by a likewise underrated Pamela Reed. To top this fabulous Western off, however, is a truly memorable score by the iconic guitar master, Ry Cooder, a classic in his own right. Without his singular, noble soundtrack, this movie wouldn't have been the perfect masterpiece that it is.

THE LONG RIDERS isn't as gritty as THE GREAT NORTHFIELD, MINNESOTA RAID nor as theatrical as, say, TOMBSTONE (another movie about a real life shootout), but it IS super-stylized, with an impressive cast. If I have one complaint, it's that the historical background of "the James gang" is only briefly touched upon: it would've been interesting to see how the Civil War atrocities that were committed BY and AGAINST some of these men resulted in the formation of the gang- from the loss of personal property to the acts of outright murder they then committed themselves. I've never bought into the idea that these men were Robin Hoods (I've never read any documentation to that effect); they were robbin' hoods, and they were murderers. THE LONG RIDERS is a romanticized version of what was for many a true life horror story. It would be interesting to see this story from THAT perspective. (And I've always thought it telling that the gang was decimated by armed citizens and not by Law Enforcement.)

After the Civil War, the James-Younger gang commits a series of daring robberies of banks and trains in and around Missouri. The Pinkerton Detective Agency is called in to try and deal with these notorious outlaws.I love this western for many different reasons. Chief amongst them is simply that it looks and sounds gorgeous, full of authentic period detail, beautiful costumes, rich traditional music and expertly staged action. I also love the cast, all of whom are tremendous; some may dismiss the idea of casting four sets of real life brothers, but it works beautifully because they are all great players. David Carradine and Stacey Keach as Cole Younger and Frank James in particular are two of the few actors I can think of who could pull off these larger-than-life roles and not look ridiculous. Everyone is great though and special mention has to go to Reed as Belle Starr, who sizzles up the screen and matches the machismo shot for shot. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of it though is its detached political stance - one view of Jesse James is as a heroic fighter who refused to bow to the North and stole from wealthy Yankee businessmen, whilst he and the gang can just as easily be labelled as bigoted cut-throats and killers. The movie doesn't preach either way, but it does emphasise the protagonists' army bushwacker pasts and their sense of disbelief and resentment at the Confederate defeat, whilst making no apologies for their actions. This tension builds towards the excellent finale at the infamous disastrous bank raid in Northfield, where I'm caught between satisfaction that the bandits have finally met their comeuppance and sheer horror as they are trapped and shot to pieces. The slow-motion sequence with the horses jumping through the windows as they desperately try to escape is one of the most powerful and visually arresting moments in all western cinema. The movie was obviously a labour of love for director Hill and co-writer/co-producer/star James Keach, and they've created a rich, mythic depiction of the end of the Old West, balancing the traditional gunfights and saloon scenes with pensive moments, square dances and rural landscapes. Its trump card is the fabulous music by Ry Cooder, which mixes a contemporary score with period instruments, traditional songs and moody interludes and enhances all the key sequences, becoming an integral part of the story (the Rally 'Round The Flag recital the boys object to, Jim and Bob singing and playing the Jewish Harp on the train) and completely immersing the viewer in 1870's America. A sensational and thrilling western, not to be missed, for both the tremendous direction and the pleasure of watching the Carradine, Keach, Quaid and Guest brothers in action. For other cinematic versions of the James-Younger gang's exploits, check out Nicholas Ray's 1957 The True Story Of Jesse James or Philip Kaufman's 1972 The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid.

The story of Jesse James is the richest source of material for westerns. There is so much written about it and only a small part of it was shown on the screen. 'The Long Riders' keeps to the same part of the story as most other films: what happened shortly before Northfield, Minnesota and a bit after. I wish a more complete film would be made about it, starting with the civil war and ending after the trial of the Ford brothers, also showing the alleged involvement of the Governor of Missouri in the cowardly killing of Jesse. The film has great moments: the "handkerchief" fight between Cole Younger and Sam Starr where each man has to hold on his mouth a part of a handkerchief, while they fight with "Bowie" knives, a fight that was probably inspired by "Kansas Raiders"(1950), the night before Northfield with the members of the gang and their women, the beautiful landscape with the group riding their horses. The Carradine brothers as the Youngers are superb and so are Randy and Dennis Quaid as the Millers. Same for Pamela Reed as Belle Starr. I cannot think of a Frank James that can compare to Henry Fonda. Stacy Keach does his best but there is something lacking. James Keach underplays Jesse. It is not a bad performance, far from it, but from what I read Jesse was more outgoing than Frank, who was the guy who wanted no publicity.The shootout at Northfield would have come out better without the slow motion scenes.