The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid

PG

Released Jun 14, 1972

1 hr. 31 min.

Western

List

73%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

45%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

In 1877, Frank (John Pearce) and Jesse James (Robert Duvall) are expecting to receive amnesty from the state of Missouri for all their previous crimes. But the railroad owners whom the brothers have repeatedly robbed intervene, stopping the amnesty and sending the Pinkertons to kill the gang. Meanwhile, Frank and Jesse team up with Cole Younger (Cliff Robertson) and his gang, and plot to rob the biggest bank west of the Mississippi, located in Northfield, Minn.

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KB B

I was definitely expecting a great film based on the reviews. This was slow and boring and there was an attempted raid. Don't bother with this garbage.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/14/24

Full Review

jon c

Phillip Kaufmann writes and directs a golden western about surviving as long as possible During 1877, Frank (John Pearce) and Jesse James (Robert Duvall) are expecting to receive amnesty from the state of Missouri for all their previous crimes But the railroad owners whom the brothers have repeatedly robbed intervene, stopping the amnesty and sending the Pinkertons to kill the gang They are willing to hunt them down like dogs Meanwhile, Frank and Jesse team up with Cole Younger (the late Cliff Robertson) and his gang, and plot to rob the biggest bank west of the Mississippi, located in Northfield, Minnesota It's a foreign land to them full of sports, strange machinery, and townsfolk that operate in a different manner This is one of the golden westerners filled with gun fights and old fashioned bank robbers Not too conventional but neither historically accurate yet it's filled with all the artifacts reminiscent of the bygone era There's a grimy visual aesthetic but makes things a tiny bit comedic not to be too sour The heist itself towards the end is exciting and brings everything to a quite a conclusion Duvall and Robertson are the highlights planning the ultimate getaway to make their lives worth remembering Not one of the greats in this genre but worthy to see a part of the past in this context

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Isaiah Y

The performances by Duvall and Robertson were good but the screenplay is awfully cheesy.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/07/20

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delysid d

i have to watch old 70s movies because the garbage they make today, isn't worth watching

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/17/20

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kevin w

Philip Kaufman takes a leisurely, historical look at the life lived in the mid-United States immediately after the Civil War. There's also a bit of a story about Jesse James and Cole Younger's differences of opinion insofar as to what exactly that notorious gang's mission was, and it's interesting enough, but the main focus is a casual walkthrough the attitudes of people living in those times, "the good ol' days". Again, while interesting, certainly not enthralling. There's also some little bit about the detectives chasing the outlaws that is simply frittered away.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A decent Western. A lot of characters and a fair amount of action shoe horned into 90 minutes. Quality of the filming is dubious and the baseball game scene is plain weird.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Philip Kaufman

Director

Cliff Robertson

Cole Younger

Robert Duvall

Jesse James

Luke Askew

Jim Younger

R. G. Armstrong

Clell Miller

Dana Elcar

Allen

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Jay Cocks

TIME Magazine

For all its flaws, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid is the kind of first movie so rich in texture and invention that we can look forward to a lot more from Philip Kaufman.

May 8, 2013

Full Review

Vincent Canby

New York Times

A lovely, odd sort of middle Western. That is, it's neither conventional Western fiction nor completely documented fact, although it makes full use of history and is as crammed with the artifacts of 19th-century America.

Rated: 4/5

May 8, 2013

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

[The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid] may be a valiant attempt but fails to come off.

May 8, 2013

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

Unseen Films

Kaufman presents his material with a comedic breeziness at considerable odds with its grim, grimy visual aesthetic.

Rated: 6/10

May 26, 2020

Full Review

Dick Lochte

Los Angeles Free Press

[Phillip] Kaufman's clever script moves from bloody murder to historically precise set pieces to Occult visions to wacky humor with consitent style.

Jan 8, 2020

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

The finale bank heist is well-executed and possibly excuses the pic's flaws.

Rated: B

Sep 23, 2013

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Synopsis

In 1877, Frank (John Pearce) and Jesse James (Robert Duvall) are expecting to receive amnesty from the state of Missouri for all their previous crimes. But the railroad owners whom the brothers have repeatedly robbed intervene, stopping the amnesty and sending the Pinkertons to kill the gang. Meanwhile, Frank and Jesse team up with Cole Younger (Cliff Robertson) and his gang, and plot to rob the biggest bank west of the Mississippi, located in Northfield, Minn.

Director: Philip Kaufman
Screenwriter: Philip Kaufman
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 14, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2016