NEWTON BOYS RIDE AGAIN!!!

Well looks like they went and test screened THE NEWTON BOYS for the third time. And this time my distant relative... Cole Younger was on the case. He was searching behind a thousand oaks and stumbled into a joint call Mann Janss Marketplace. And guess what? There was a test screening... Shock Gasp Choke... Yet again more strong word on Linklater's latest, and I for one am now dying to see it. A word of warning though. There are some SPOILERS below. This viewer really liked it, and thought there was only a small problem. Not bad for an incomplete film months from being released. Sounds like a winner!!! The Newton Boys was fantastic. The movie mixes two very familiar genres - Westerns and Gangster flicks - into a very likable movie by following the exploits of the most successful bank robbers in American history. The story: The story was a good one. Because the Newtons' story isn't that well-known, the story keeps you interested. You never really know if they're gonna get caught or if they're gonna get away with each robbery. The story moves along nicely and doesn't really ever drag. The biggest downfall of the story is how it handles Willis Newton's (Matthew McConaughey) love interest, Louise played by Julianna Marguiles from ER. She has a son from a previous marriage. Well, you never really know where things stand between Willis and Louise because the story focuses on the robberies until one point where her son calls Willis Daddy. No wedding was shown. Nothing. This was the only indication that they were married. This should have either been developed more or the references to her son should be dropped all together. This was the story's only weak link. The Acting: The acting was good. All of the actors played their characters very well. Matthew McConaughey did a good job of portraying Willis, the brains of the gang. He seemed to capture the essence of the character. Willis was a bright guy who got too greedy and McConaughey shows this well. Ethan Hawke was good as another brother. I remember thinking, "Hey, where is he? I just saw him in Gattaca." It was tough to tell it was the same guy. Julianna Marguiles seems to fit this role to a T. She plays Louise who is always trying to get Willis to go straight. The intangibles: What really made this movie enjoyable for me was the fact that it was different. It wasn't your usually Showdown at the OK Corral Western or your usual Sleeps with the Fishes Gangster movie. It borrowed from both types to give you a good story where its hard not to like the characters. It sounds crazy but you want to see Willis and the gang steal enough money so that they can afford to go straight. This is a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously either. There are parts where you can't help but laugh at what's going on on screen, but it's not usually because there's comedy going on. It's usually because the characters are so likable that they are amusing. The best example of this is the courtroom scene where Ethan Hawke's character offers an explanation to the judge. Finally, this is a movie you need to sit through the credits for. There is a special surprise at the end which helps you appreciate the job the actors have done at capturing the essence of their characters. I went into this movie without much in the way of expectations. I was pretty much a blank slate and knew nothing other than who was in it and that it was about the "most prolific bank robbers in American History." I'm pleased to say that it enjoyed far more than I normally would for a similar type of movie and I've enjoyed most Westerns and almost all gangster movies that I've seen.