The Myth of the American Outlaw

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The Myth of the American Outlaw
The oulaw is a common figure in American folklore because this figure represents a number of contradiction. He is an image of crime, violence and fear, and at the same time, of fearlessness, independence and dedication. The outlaw is surrounded by legend, a man riding on a black horse, alone. His one hand holds a smoking revolver, and his saddlebags are bulging with new treasures accumulated from his exploits. He is a robber and a criminal. He threatens the society`s safety and security, but at the same time, he signifies the hope of the people, their resistance an oppressive authority and a corrupt society. For many people, the outlaw personifies the true meaning of democracy. He is not bounded by race, wealth and education. The outlaw is "born of injustice and reflects a wish for rebellion" ADDIN Mendeley Citation{527d94d4-0e4b-4bd3-b590-e7cfec352b45} CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "family" : "Prassel", "given" : "Frank Richard" } ], "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "1937" ] ] }, "publisher" : "University of Oklahoma Press", "publisher-place" : "Oklahoma", "title" : "The Great American Outlaw: A Legacy of Fact and Fiction", "type" : "book" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=527d94d4-0e4b-4bd3-b590-e7cfec352b45" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "manualFormatting" : "(Prassel xii)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Prassel)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" } (Prassel xii). His figure is very old, but it is never out of date. He is enigma of American history, and his presence have been subjected to a number of discussions. Is a myth or a real personality? Is he good or bad? Is he a freeman or a criminal? This review of the movie American Outlaws attempts to determine why the outlaw has become a prominent figure in American history and what it represents. At the end of the review, the author hopes to connect the movie with the myth of the outlaw and determine whether it is worth seeing or not.
Released in 2001, the American Outlaws is a retelling of the story of Jesse James (portrayed by Colin Farrell) and his brother Frank (Gabriel Macht). Just like the traditional story, Jesse and his brother fights to protect their family against the threats of a railroad company attempting to force people in their area to sell their farms. Jesse and his gang plots to rob the bank where the company stores its funds, the gang succeeds and are hunted down by the company`s henchmen. This is where the story revolves. The gang relies on Jesse to bail them out in tough situation, hence earning Jesse the name, "the lone ranger".
While the movie was admirable because of the strength of character shown by Jesse`s gang, it is simply inaccurate. According one review, "To say that the film plays fast an...