2 1/2 out of 4 stars.
In 2014, it feels like the gangster film has hit a plateau. The last major thing to influence the gangster genre was TV show "The Sopranos." The last films to make an impact on the gangster genre were Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas." Now, though, we have a lot of films that repeat what these great films did, but don't push it forward. Richard Linklater's 1998 film "The Newton Boys" is one of these repeats.
"The Newton Boys" is a typical gangster film. It felt like the filmmakers made a checklist of everything a gangster film needed and checked them all off, but it didn't push the film anywhere it hadn't been before. You have your stock characters: the charming gangster (Matthew McConaughey), the fun gangster (Ethan Hawke), the pessimistic gangster (Skeet Ulrich), the brute force (Vincent D'Onofrio), the brains (Dwight Yoakam), the love interest (Julianna Marguiles), and the cops. All the actors play them decently, but that's about it.
There's the action, the romance, and the stylish gangster life, but it feels kind of flat or stale. This film doesn't feel like a Linklater film. Sure, McConoaughey and Hawke are Linklater regulars, but there's no long tracking shots, philosophical discussions, or witty humor. The film doesn't feel as personal.
The redeeming quality to this film, though, is how it feels like an ode or tribute to the classic gangster films, like "The Public Enemy" (look at the opening credits and style of the film), "Bonnie and Clyde" (look at them having fun robbing banks and the bluegrass music), "The Godfather" trilogy (look at the themes of family and brothers), and "Goodfellas" (look at the characters as punks with nothing left to lose and the theme of betrayal). "The Newton Boys" feels like a summary of all the gangster films before it, which interested me. "The Sopranos" would begin soon after this and push the gangster genre forward.
"The Newton Boys" is a fun little tribute to gangster films. It sheds light on who the Newton family was and their uniqueness in the crime world, but it doesn't bring as much originality to the gangster films. It has its moments, but the film is neither the best of Linklater's or the gangster genre.
In 2014, it feels like the gangster film has hit a plateau. The last major thing to influence the gangster genre was TV show "The Sopranos." The last films to make an impact on the gangster genre were Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas." Now, though, we have a lot of films that repeat what these great films did, but don't push it forward. Richard Linklater's 1998 film "The Newton Boys" is one of these repeats.
"The Newton Boys" is a typical gangster film. It felt like the filmmakers made a checklist of everything a gangster film needed and checked them all off, but it didn't push the film anywhere it hadn't been before. You have your stock characters: the charming gangster (Matthew McConaughey), the fun gangster (Ethan Hawke), the pessimistic gangster (Skeet Ulrich), the brute force (Vincent D'Onofrio), the brains (Dwight Yoakam), the love interest (Julianna Marguiles), and the cops. All the actors play them decently, but that's about it.
There's the action, the romance, and the stylish gangster life, but it feels kind of flat or stale. This film doesn't feel like a Linklater film. Sure, McConoaughey and Hawke are Linklater regulars, but there's no long tracking shots, philosophical discussions, or witty humor. The film doesn't feel as personal.
The redeeming quality to this film, though, is how it feels like an ode or tribute to the classic gangster films, like "The Public Enemy" (look at the opening credits and style of the film), "Bonnie and Clyde" (look at them having fun robbing banks and the bluegrass music), "The Godfather" trilogy (look at the themes of family and brothers), and "Goodfellas" (look at the characters as punks with nothing left to lose and the theme of betrayal). "The Newton Boys" feels like a summary of all the gangster films before it, which interested me. "The Sopranos" would begin soon after this and push the gangster genre forward.
"The Newton Boys" is a fun little tribute to gangster films. It sheds light on who the Newton family was and their uniqueness in the crime world, but it doesn't bring as much originality to the gangster films. It has its moments, but the film is neither the best of Linklater's or the gangster genre.