"The Newton Boys" - Their Crime Is Our Punishment by Homer Yen (c) 1998
The Newton Boys is the true story of the most successful gang of bank robbers in American history. Their stream of robberies lasted for over two years in the early 1920s, and an intelligent leader helped to keep them from being caught by the law. Matthew McConaughey stars as Willis Newton, who eventually enlists the services of his brothers to help him pull off the robberies. Waxing philosophic, he reasons that the banks are crooks themselves, so they are just smaller thieves stealing from bigger thieves. He also wants the money to help pay for an oil rig which, he hopes, will hold the key to his future once he taps into the oil reserves that lie below.
His brothers include Jess (Ethan Hawke), who likes to live life on the edge; Joe (Skeet Ulrich) whose innocence forces him to question Willis' moral stance; and Doc, a lumbering loser of a sort who just wants to be a part of anything that is criminal in activity. Living on a Texas ranch and in virtual poverty, the glitzy city life and the potential riches convince the brothers to tag along with Willis. The final member is lovingly referred to as 'Glass' (Dwight Yoakum), a long-time associate of Willis' who also has experience in setting off explosives. These men are all friendly, down-home folk who are good-natured, not at all indicative of bank robbers. But they are good at what they do. Willis leads the way and makes the plans, Glass uses the explosives to break into bank safes, and the brothers are assigned as lookouts. No one ever gets hurt, and the money pours in. They are not shy about spending their ill-gained loot, and even Willis uses his new found wealth and innate charm to woo his future love, Louise Brown (Julianna Margulies).
Eventually, two events begin to signal the demise of the Newton boys. One is that new safes are being invented which are sturdier than ever. The new safes make it virtually impossible for them to break in. Robberies are now a lot riskier too since security has been heightened. Second, the oil rig goes bust. All that has been invested is lost, and now, they have to start over again. But the fabric of their familiar world is unraveling. So, it's one last heist, and the target is a federal mail train. The risk is great, but if they succeed, their reward will be an incredible $3 million.
But if you thought a movie about bank robbing would be characterized by fun and guns, you'd better think again. As an entertainment vehicle, The Newton Boys moves as slowly as the mail train. Playing more like a pseudo-documentary, it slowly chugs along, and the movie seems to meander from scene to scene, letting us hang out with the boys, but never really pulling us into their family. Even with guns a-blazing, this movie is a dramatic lull. One big problem is that the characters are all pretty dull. But a more inherent problem was that the real life Newtons boys were very successful, whose skills outmatched anything they faced. They were smart enough to get away with anything, and for the most part, they did. Thus, there lacks the element of adversity, energy, and excitement. But if you do watch this film, stay for the most interesting part which happens during the end credits when we see an old interview with the real Willis Newton on the Johnny Carson show and some home video footage of Joe Newton. The Newton boys remained relatively obscure among the pantheon of famous criminals. Obscurity will befall this movie as well.
Grade: C
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