The Outlaws (2024) [Movie review]

The Outlaws has an identity crisis. It’s a Western, it’s a crime movie, it’s a seemingly foreign production shot in the US and it’s a B movie hitting VOD. None of these are bad, but when all four run for the main stage door, they get squished into a big mess. Now, what emerges from that mess? If you said weirdly timed plot twists, Eric Roberts suddenly appearing and a lack of strong resolution…you’d be correct. But, I praise Westerns…I don’t ding them. So what am I going to do with The Outlaws?

Westerns made America

America gave the World the following in this order: Westerns, Jazz, NASCAR and Fast Food. We have never been thanked properly for any of them, but as our cultural Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, they represent something unique about our mindsets. Basically, we’re the last great civilization before everything becomes a unified front against whatever future alien horde descends upon us and picks our bones. Jazz was our Little Brother attempt at putting Soul into our Art. NASCAR was our cultural reliance on making a dollar at defying the Law. Fast Food is convenience and our eventual shared death.

But, Westerns represented here in The Outlaws is something quite different. Europe had castles, Japan had Samurai, America had loners with firearms and a horse. Some sang, some shot men in black and others hung out with a lone Indian to work as a vigilante. It was different, but it was our thing. So each new Western that steps up to the plate has a proud history to add to and that’s why The Outlaws doesn’t hit the cultural tastes just right. Because at it’s heart, it’s not a Western…it’s a crime flick.

The Outlaws by way of The Mob

The Outlaws centers on four Outlaws and some stolen loot. There are a handful of characters who seemingly have their full names screamed about, but Jonathan Peacy’s character is the only one that seems to understand the world of the Western. Eric Roberts eventually shows up as the big bad, but by the time you finish the movie, it doesn’t feel like a Western. The poster, trailer and everything else says Western. But, your brain will hopefully say, this is a tale of four criminals arguing over ill-gotten gains until an overboss tries to step into play.

It’s a short film that wants to say so much in the worst way. However, nothing really amounts to anything. It’s just who stole the loot, some bending of events and then hopeful resolution. I’m not going to sit here and act like the Republic Pictures cowboy movies were doing anything super revolutionary, but the rules of the game were afoot. Now, it’s just how many genre trappings can we slam into a Western sandwich to sell to an international market?

The Outlaws in a crowded marketplace

VOD is great, but it is so crowded. As theatrical exhibition suffers like an 89 year old grandparent waiting by the window for their relatives to come visit, VOD and streaming has taken over. After all, it’s not like there wasn’t 30 years of the populace telling Hollywood, fix the theatrical experience or we’re going elsewhere. But, the last time Hollywood had to reinvent themselves in that regard was the 1950s. If they were any other business, they’d already be a Spirit Halloween at this point.

While I noted there was a lot of foreign talent that worked on this film behind the cameras, it’s not like it made any difference. I appreciate outside voices giving their take on American Westerns. However, not everyone is a Leone success. Hell, at this point I’d settle for a good Walter Hill knock-off.

Why don’t the children carry six shooters?

Young people don’t care about Westerns because they have no need to care about them. I’m not saying that they are out there playing gangsters either. But, the average urban and suburban youth can understand crime. A bunch of goons haggling over stolen loot and people turning on each other is relatable. But, is it unique?

The answer is not really. Throughout The Outlaws, I struggled to find an angle or something that would attract new viewers to a genre that bleeds people out of the mix. While the performances are OK enough and the plot gets you through the story, there’s very little beyond that.

Early Kubrick to VOD fare

The movie that drew the best comparisons to The Outlaws for me was The Killing. It might not have hurt that I watched that movie before watching The Outlaws. It’s one of those superficial comparisons, but that constant playing with time as we watch a bunch of baddies turn on each other has been done before. A good rule of thumb is that when I’m trying to watch a movie, I shouldn’t spent the last 30 minutes thinking about a better one. That helps no one.

The Outlaws is now playing everywhere