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The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid

PG Released Jun 14, 1972 1h 31m Western List
73% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 45% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
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.

Critics Reviews

View All (11) Critics Reviews
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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (31) audience reviews
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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews
The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid

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Cast & Crew

Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here 73% 48% Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here Rooster Cogburn 45% 70% Rooster Cogburn Joe Kidd 80% 54% Joe Kidd Wild Rovers 60% 45% Wild Rovers A Fistful of Dynamite 92% 84% A Fistful of Dynamite Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

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
Producer
Jennings Lang
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
Runtime
1h 31m