The Newton Boys
By no means a master storyteller, Linklater has instead crafted a movie tailored to his own strengths, among them his skillful direction of actors, his flair for period detail and his unerring sense of rhythm; like all of his work, The Newton Boys is also informed by its maker's deep and abiding love for the film medium itself, complete with any number of striking visual and emotional references to classics ranging from Greed to Jules et Jim.
19 June 1935, Medina, Ohio, USA
23 October 1956, Pikeville, Kentucky, USA
14 March 1977, Arlington, Texas, USA
22 August 1918, Mobile, Alabama, USA
20 January 1970, Lynchburg, Virginia, USA
23 October 1925, Corning, Iowa, USA
24 November 1953, Amarillo, Texas, USA
12 April 1951, Waxahachie, Texas, USA
6 April 1973, Panama City, Panama
8 February 1952, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
26 March 1932, Macon, Georgia, USA
July 23, 2006
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.
March 05, 2002
Linklater's genuine regard for his characters and fidelity to his setting are his strongest directorial traits.
January 01, 2000
More yawn-inducing than fifty people yawning.
January 08, 2018
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.
December 27, 2004
Like the Newtons themselves, the film never goes for the kill.
January 01, 2000
These are fetching performers, but their built-in energy is about all The Newton Boys has going for it.
September 09, 2002
There's little nuance in the straightforward, chronological way the tale is told--it's hard to point to a scene that's worth discussing after you've left the theatre.
July 03, 2003
Linklater seems to understand the root of McConaughey's appeal stems from his wild side. Casting McConaughey as someone noble and high-minded... is like hiring Madonna to play a housewife.
