American Outlaws

This is why true to life stories don't always work as movies. The movie starts off with the three siblings going on the run to avoid one of them being sent back to prison. That is all done quite well with some good acting. But then there was a bank robbery and that didn't really ring true. The bank looked like a 1950s set up with no security. It was cool seeing them travelling through all the backroads of the south, seeing all those different towns, none of which Id want to live in as they all seemed kinda bleak to me. Then what should have been an entire taskforce tracking them down ends up being 2 guys, as they probably cant afford more.

This movie is awful. It's not worth dissecting. It is so insipidly terrible that it makes me angry. And for the dude that "reviewed" 3000 movies and put this movie in his top 5 indies....wow...just wow. I implore people to not watch this movie. Ever. The only time this movie got a reaction from me other than disgust and anger, was at the end when after being apprehended, they did the crow calls as they were put in separate cars...I laughed so hard I almost puked. If I did this poor at my job I'd be fired. I wouldn't even consider this good for a first time writer/director. It's simply awful and a complete waste of time you'll never get back.

Someone was making fun of the camera used, and the budget, but that wasn't what let this movie down, I really loved the quality, infact am amazed, if it was truly shot with an iPhone. The acting was solid. The cinematography was solid. But the story was really really stupid. And that's what let this movie down. I can't believe this was actually a true story. It shouldn't have been made. The story is about some 3 really really dumb kids, doing dumb things, that almost got them killed. Half way into the movie and I could care less what happened to them. Had it been 3 black kids, the story might have ended alot different.

The budget for this film well under 100k with the biggest expense being wrecking a used 1995 sedan. Not much to see here, three siblings are trying hard to be criminals and just come off as complete amateurs. The closeup camera work and needless screen tilt is most likely done with an old Iphone for many of the scenes. Script is bad, dialogue is teen age dirtbag cringey and the entire plot is simple and predictable. Most likely this is a self financed project by the writer/director and Treat Williams was in debt a favor and cashed in his chip. Most likely this is a self financed project by the writer/director and Treat Williams was in debt a favor and cashed in his chip.

One of those movies with potential, that surely aint bad at all, but just doesnt seem to be able to thrill or move me. Not any good? The start of the movie is kinda promising. The actors for sure aint bad either, but after having watched them for half an hour I was missing that special actor's chemistry that makes me sympathize with the characters, which did not happen in this case. More bad: the story sounds kinda thrilling when I read the plot, but the actual movie, especially the middle part, is quite tedious to be honest. Nohting much happens, besides some doodling around at a beautiful lake. Short on actor's charisma. Short on thrill and suspense. Not bad, not great...

This based-on-true-events little indie gem is newb filmmaker Sean McEwen's 3rd writing and 2nd directorial full length feature film credit, with only some TV series and a few short films as prior experience, but you'd think this film was put together by a seasoned filmmaker with a big Hollywood budget. I really can't find anything to critique or say could've been done better, especially when I was expecting a ton of rookie filmmaking mistakes and typical B-grade filmmaking annoyances. Maybe the pacing could've been a little better and about 5-10 mins cut out, but everything else was so well done, I shouldn't complain. The cinematography was spot on, if not perfect, and McEwen sure knows how to shoot an action thriller with his effective use of close-ups, ariel shots and camera angles. The score and soundtrack were outstanding - that alone is a huge feat, as the score in B films is always loud, annoying, overbearing and unfitting. McEwen's screenplay was exceptional, with a very coherent and cohesive narrative. His use of actual past TV news clips from the real events inserted at the right times elevated his story telling. The entire 99 min runtime was used effectively, and maintained a constant engaging tone and level of suspense. McEwen even nailed directing his cast effectively, as all casting and performances were excellent and convincing, particularly the three siblings that nail down the specific dynamic of this family, especially India Eisley who shined as the troubled Lee-Grace Dougherty sister. Huge props to the entire cast and crew for creating such a great film. I can honestly say this is in my top 10 must-see low budget independent B-grade films of all time, and I've seen a lot of films - click on my username to see my over 3,300 ratings and over 1,700 reviews. McEwen certainly is an up and coming filmmaker to keep an eye out for, and his little gem American Outlaws is a well deserved 8/10 from me.

American Outlaws