Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- sardonic
- raw
- parodic
- classic western night
- revisionist cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics generally regard the film as an inventive, raw, and parodic revisionist western, though less accomplished than its strongest contemporaries.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The James-Younger gang's failed robbery and compromised status are presented as raw, fallible, and antiheroic rather than romanticized.
The film combines stark realism with parody, especially as the gang's carefully planned robbery repeatedly goes awry.
Railroad companies and banks oppose the gang, wage a campaign against them, and bribe the legislature to revoke its pardon.
The gangs receive pardon and amnesty for defending homesteaders while remaining targets of banks and railroad interests.
Films like The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, and why
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
revisionist western treatment, antiheroic outlaws, and a blend of raw realism with dark parody
The Wild Bunch
deglamorized frontier violence, historical outlaw mythology, and psychologically grounded western drama
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
bleakly comic revisionist western tone and focus on aging or compromised frontier figures
Movie Details
- Director
- Philip Kaufman
- Release Date
- 1972-05-12
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (60)
Cast
- Cliff Robertson
- Robert Duvall
- Luke Askew
- R.G. Armstrong
- Dana Elcar
- Donald Moffat
- John Pearce
- Matt Clark
- Wayne Sutherlin
- Robert H. Harris
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid about?
- A deglamorized and darkly comic western follows Cole Younger as political betrayal and outlaw pride pull him toward a doomed 1876 bank robbery.
- What is The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid?
- Critics generally regard the film as an inventive, raw, and parodic revisionist western, though less accomplished than its strongest contemporaries.
- Which films are like The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid?
- Films with a similar feel include McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Wild Bunch, and Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid.
- How long is The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid?
- The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid?
- In United States, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
