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The Newton Boys

Play trailer Poster for The Newton Boys PG-13 Released Mar 27, 1998 2h 2m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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65% Tomatometer 40 Reviews 43% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Seeking an escape from poverty, sibling Texas farmers (Matthew McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich, Ethan Hawke) gain notoriety as daring 1920s bank robbers.
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The Newton Boys

The Newton Boys

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Critics Consensus

The Newton Boys uses a sharp cast and absorbing period detail to help make up for the frustrations of a story puzzlingly short on dramatic tension.

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Critics Reviews

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Mike Clark Washington Post As portrayed by Matthew McConaughey in his first fully satisfying screen performance, Willis Newton regards his three younger brothers and their associates as social rectifiers who take money only from the real thieves: bankers and their directors. Rated: 2.5/4 Jan 9, 2018 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: B- Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Emanuel Levy Variety A handsome production that nicely evokes the 1920s and a likeable cast headed by McConaughey can't compensate for a Western-gangster film that's too diffuse and lacks a discernibel POV to be dramatically engaging. Rated: 2/5 Jul 23, 2006 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault Better than its ads would lead you to believe, but it’s a vague and mostly uninvolving film. Rated: C Sep 2, 2022 Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site What the film communicates perhaps above all is Linklater's deep belief in the resiliency and ingenuity of human beings, his confidence in their ability to resist, by whatever means at their disposal, unfair and unjust conditions. Feb 16, 2021 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Rated: 3/5 Mar 20, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jelisije J A movie that had no real stakes and was so light hearted that I had to keep reminding myself that this was a movie about a family of bank robbers who never killed anybody during their entire run of robbing banks. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/26/23 Full Review Audience Member The Newton Boys had it all Based on true events this focuses on the most successful bank robbers during the 1920s and on the 1994 book by Claude Stanush An all-star cast of Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Dwight Yokam, Skeet Ulrich, Julianna Margulies, and Vincent D'Onofrio directed by the renowned Richard Linklater Willis the main lead lands in jail due to a miscarriage of justice so he feels the only way to climb the social ladder is by having monetary means The titular brothers embarked on a crime spree across the nation into Canada The thing is they only do their activities at night to avoid casualties I thought this was fine This is a very silent movie; lots of quiet moments The story is frustratingly short on dramatic tension But they left behind a big legacy as far as criminals go; they survived the largest train robbery making it to a ripe old age---almost what no other outlaws have done in history This is flawed but well presented with these men posting themselves as social rectifiers Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Obviously embellished but sticks to the grit of the era. A surprise clutch performance by Dwight Yoakam as well. The small ensemble cast keeps you engaged in charm and drama. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review camille l Aussi sympathique que Richard Linklater veuille les faire passer (ce qu'ils étaient sûrement comme le démontre les images d'archives pendant les crédits) à l'image de son film, les Newton Boys ne méritaient peut-être pas un film de deux longues heures. En effet, ce film de braquages manque malheureusement de braquages et surtout d'une structure logique, qui fait disparaître bon nombre de personnages pour les retrouver de longues scènes plus tard, sans véritable intérêt. C'est dommage pour le quatuor principal, dont Ethan Hawke se sort sans véritable effort grâce à son charisme naturel et sa faculté à jouer toutes sortes de rôles. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Great movie, great actors & it's based on a true story! What more can you ask for! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member 11/11/18: Meh. Great cast, but the story was mostly pretty dull. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/11/18 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Seeking an escape from poverty, sibling Texas farmers (Matthew McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich, Ethan Hawke) gain notoriety as daring 1920s bank robbers.
Director
Richard Linklater
Producer
Anne Walker-McBay
Screenwriter
Claude Stanush, Richard Linklater, Claude Stanush, Clark Walker
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox, Newton Boys Ventures, Inc., Detour Filmproduction
Rating
PG-13 (Violence|Language|Bloody Aftermath of a Shooting)
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 27, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.3M
Runtime
2h 2m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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