The Long Riders [Blu-ray] [2 Discs]

Director: Walter Hill Walter Hill

Overview

The hook in Walter Hill's mythic retelling of the James-Younger outlaw legend is in the casting; the James, Younger, Miller, and Ford Brothers are played by a string of acting brothers, the Keachs, the Carradines, the Quaids and the Guests. The film begins as outlaws are robbing a bank. After the robbery, Ed Miller (Dennis Quaid) finds himself kicked out of the gang for needlessly killing a man during the robbery. Jesse James (James Keach) hands over Ed's share of the money and tells him to leave, a feeling held mutually by Ed's brother Clell (Randy Quaid). After the killing the gang decides to split up for awhile. The James boys return to their wives and farms, while Cole Younger (David Carradine) travels to Texas with his prostitute girlfriend Belle Starr (Pamela Reed). After the brief respite, the gang reunites to rob a well-stocked bank in Northfield, Minnesota. The robbery turns out disastrously, with most of the gang either wounded or dying. The James boys are the only ones not seriously hurt, and they leave the rest of the gang behind, escaping while they can. After the James boys leave, the remnants of the gang are captured. But trailing the Jameses is a relentless posse. Frank and Jesse manage to keep one step ahead until the Ford brothers (Christopher Guest and Nicholas Guest) make a deal with the Pinkerton detectives trailing the outlaws.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/26/2017
UPC:	0738329216115
Original Release:	1980
Rating:	R
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00
Sales rank:	22,905

Special Features

New Interviews with stars Keith Carradine, Robert Carradine, Stacy Keach, James Keach, Randy Quaid & Nicholas Guest New interview with Director Walter Hill New Interview with Composer Ry Cooder New Interview with Producer Tim Zimmemann Outlaw Brothers: The Making of The Long Riders (61 Minutes) The Northfield Minnesota Raid: Anatomy of a Scene (15 Min.) Slow Motion: Walter Hill on Sam Peckinpah (6 Min) Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell & Nathaniel Thompson Original Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

David Carradine	Cole Younger,Jim Younger,Bob Younger
James Keach	Jesse James,Frank James,Actor
Dennis Quaid	Ed Miller,Clell Miller
Kevin Brophy	John Younger
Harry Carey Jr.	George Arthur
Christopher Guest	Charlie Ford,Bob Ford
Shelby Leverington	Annie Ralston
Felice Orlandi	Mr. Reddick
Pamela Reed	Belle Starr
James Remar	Sam Starr
Fran Ryan	Mrs. Samuel
Savannah Smith	Zee
Amy Stryker	Beth
James Whitmore Jr.	Mr. Rixley
John Bottoms	Mortician
West Buchanan	McCorkindale
Edward Bunker	Actor
Martina Deignan	Actor
Allan Graf	Actor
Chris Mulkey	Actor
Thomas Myers	Actor
Marlise Pieratt	Actor
Glenn Robards	Actor
Tim Rossovich	Actor
Lin Shaye	Actor
Gary Watkins	Actor
Peter Jason	Actor
Steve Chambers	Actor
Duke Stroud	Actor
William Traylor	Actor
J. Don Ferguson	Actor
Hugh McGraw	Actor
Prentiss Rowe	Actor
Stuart Mossman	Actor
Michael Lackey	Actor
Mitch Greenhill	Actor
Bill Bryson	Actor
Thomas J. Sauber	Actor
Jimmy Medearis	Actor
Edgar McLeod	Actor
Luis Contreras	Actor
R.B. Thrift	Actor
Savannah Boucher	Actor
Jane Kean	Actor
Ry Cooder	Composer

Technical Credits

Walter Hill

Stacy Keach

Bill Bryden

Steven Smith

Walter Hill	Director,Screenwriter
Tim Zinnemann	Producer
Stacy Keach	Executive Producer,Executive Producer,Screenwriter,Screenwriter,Producer,Producer
Bill Bryden	Screenwriter
Steven Smith	Screenwriter
James Webb	Sound/Sound Designer
Chris McLaughlin	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

A violent, bloody western that gleefully thumbs its nose at horse-opera conventions, The Long Riders adheres broadly to historical reality but is clearly the product of an anti-establishment, post-Vietnam mind-set. Fans of the Sam Peckinpah school of western filmmaking will enjoy the slow-motion shootouts and their gory consequences, although story values are sacrificed to make room for the action. The movie’s principal point of interest is its casting of real-life siblings as famous outlaws: David, Keith, and Robert Carradine as Cole, Jim, and Bob Younger respectively; Stacy and James Keach as Frank and Jesse James; Dennis and Randy Quaid as Ed and Clell Miller; and Christopher and Nicholas Guest as Charlie and Bob Ford. Pamela Reed costars as the spunky Belle Starr. Director Walter Hill (Wild Bill) pays scrupulous attention to authentic period set design, costuming, and weaponry but, in the contemporary manner, justifies the desperadoes' depredations as nigh-inevitable lifestyle choices forced upon them by post-Civil War upheavals. Dubious motivations aside, the bandit brothers are portrayed as colorful characters, and their brutal exploits are dramatized in vivid fashion.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Walter Hill's colorful account of the waning days of the James-Younger gang has its moments but doesn't make much of an impact. The film tracks the four sets of brothers who formed the gang through their final period together, concluding with the fateful Northfield, MN, raid. Hill's gimmick of using actual brothers to play the characters is amusing for the first five minutes, but once the novelty wears off, a sense of detachment sets in. The director, while far more knowledgeable historically than many of his predecessors with this material, has opted for a neutral approach to the story with minimal characterization and the result is largely uninvolving. Nonetheless, as is usually the case with Hill, the art direction is excellent and the details of the period carefully observed. Ric Waite's camera work is often spectacular, and the editing of the Northfield robbery is superb. Given how little the cast has to work with, the acting is also top-notch, particularly James Keach as Jesse James, David Carradine as Cole Younger, and Pamela Reed as his prostitute/girlfriend, Belle Starr.

All Movie Guide - Michael Costello