3.5/5 The Newton Boys I am going to suggest that you not watch The Newton Boys, a movie that climaxes with a train heist, on the same that you watch "Dead Freight," an episode of Breaking Bad that must hold some record for the greatest train heist ever shown on TV. It may seem like an odd combo, but if it can happen to me, I guess it can happen to anyone. That George Mastras-directed episode utilized tension in a way that made every second feel like life or death. Linklater, on the other hand, may be many many things, but an expert tension-builder he is not - at this phase of his career, at least. This is just one of the key ingredients The Newton Boys, the tale of the most successful bank robbers in American history, seems to be missing. Before you read on, just know that Richard Linklater is one of my favorite directors of all time and that any criticism I lay at his feet comes with the assumption that his weaker movies are stronger than most directors' best works. If Newton Boys was made by anybody else, I probably would have scored it a little higher. In that sentence lies one of my biggest problems with the film: it could have been made by someone else. I do not want to say “anyone else,” because there are still several Linklater-esque qualities, but it is by far one of his most conventional films. | Director: Richard Linklater Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Skeet Ulrich, Vincent D'Onofrio, Julianna Margulies Writers: Richard Linklater, Claude Stanush, Clark Walker |
The story begins with Willis Newton (Matthew McConaughey) getting out of jail and returning to his Texas home and reuniting with brothers Joe (Skeet Ulrich) and Jess (Ethan Hawke) - one brother, Dock (Vincent D’Onofrio), is still in the can. Willis is barely home a minute before he heads to the city with hopes of making big money…mostly via bank robberies. A stickler for detail and non-violence, he discovers that he’s quite good at this way of life, and it does not take much to convince his brothers to join him on his adventures. Even the moralistic Joe barely fights back. For a while, it served them well. By the end of the criminal career, the Newton brothers had robbed over eighty banks and a train, the latter of which finally got them caught.
I am not hating on Linklater because he failed to complete some cops-and-robbers checklist; I would actually love to see him mess with the formula. Sure, the director does not quite have a hold on the action scenes, such as the shootouts and the train sequence, but he knows how to create characters and lead actors. That’s just what he does here. With McConaughey returning from Dazed and Confused, both the actor and the director’s breakout hit, he was already off to a good start. Newton Boys finds the star flexing that trademark charm before rom-coms capitalized on it. He may be flexing, but he never coasts. Played by McConaughey, Willis never feels like a villain, a greedy bastard, or even a hero in the Robin Hood vein. He is an everyman, a flesh-and-bone human who loves, makes mistakes, and has victories.
The same characterization reverberates throughout the entire cast. Linklater regular Ethan Hawke, joining Linklater for the second time, is another great example of how a fine actor can frame a character in unusual, authentic ways. Many filmmakers would have painted Hawke’s Jess as the wildcard of the group: crazy, trigger-happy, and without morals. Not here. Hawke plays him as a lady’s man and a joker, but also as a fiercely devoted brother. It’s this kind of character work that makes the film a keeper.
If that was not enough, it is also a joy to watch Linklater play around with old-timey stylings. The dinky saloon/banjo score and the spot-on period detail, as well as the 1920’s setting, reminded me of the recently-deceased Boardwalk Empire. Like that show, The Newton Boys can feel slow and insignificant, but if you pay attention, you can really dig into the immersive visual storytelling. Take, for example, a excellent bit of editing that flashes from a quick shot of toy soldiers in a line to a shot of bullets in a similar order. Do not let yourself grow bored. Pay attention and dig into each frame. Linklater may have made better films before and after this, but in no way does that mean it should be ignored.
I am not hating on Linklater because he failed to complete some cops-and-robbers checklist; I would actually love to see him mess with the formula. Sure, the director does not quite have a hold on the action scenes, such as the shootouts and the train sequence, but he knows how to create characters and lead actors. That’s just what he does here. With McConaughey returning from Dazed and Confused, both the actor and the director’s breakout hit, he was already off to a good start. Newton Boys finds the star flexing that trademark charm before rom-coms capitalized on it. He may be flexing, but he never coasts. Played by McConaughey, Willis never feels like a villain, a greedy bastard, or even a hero in the Robin Hood vein. He is an everyman, a flesh-and-bone human who loves, makes mistakes, and has victories.
The same characterization reverberates throughout the entire cast. Linklater regular Ethan Hawke, joining Linklater for the second time, is another great example of how a fine actor can frame a character in unusual, authentic ways. Many filmmakers would have painted Hawke’s Jess as the wildcard of the group: crazy, trigger-happy, and without morals. Not here. Hawke plays him as a lady’s man and a joker, but also as a fiercely devoted brother. It’s this kind of character work that makes the film a keeper.
If that was not enough, it is also a joy to watch Linklater play around with old-timey stylings. The dinky saloon/banjo score and the spot-on period detail, as well as the 1920’s setting, reminded me of the recently-deceased Boardwalk Empire. Like that show, The Newton Boys can feel slow and insignificant, but if you pay attention, you can really dig into the immersive visual storytelling. Take, for example, a excellent bit of editing that flashes from a quick shot of toy soldiers in a line to a shot of bullets in a similar order. Do not let yourself grow bored. Pay attention and dig into each frame. Linklater may have made better films before and after this, but in no way does that mean it should be ignored.