Overview
A gripping tale of outlaws and the relentless pursuit of justice unfolds in the post-Civil War era.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- grim
- gritty
- mature
- western marathon
- historical film night
What critics said
Critics broadly admire the film's fresh, vividly realized revisionist western style, handsome photography, and strong ensemble while noting its languid pace and loose story structure.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The James-Younger Gang is depicted as violent postwar criminals rather than uncomplicated folk heroes.
Jesse and Frank James, Cole, Jim, and Bob Younger, and Ed and Clell Miller operate as a tightly bound criminal brotherhood.
The Pinkerton Detective Agency is hired by railroad owners and pursues the gang across repeated robberies and killings.
The film's photography gives the Missouri and Midwestern settings a carefully composed, painterly western scale.
Films like The Long Riders, and why
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
revisionist western treatment of real outlaws, historical violence, and morally complex frontier crime
The Wild Bunch
gritty historical western centered on outlaw culture, gang loyalty, and institutional pursuit
Bonnie and Clyde
stylized biographical western about legendary criminals facing the pressures of law and myth
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
period crime drama portraying an outlaw brotherhood and escalating conflict with authorities
Movie Details
- Director
- Walter Hill
- Release Date
- 1980-05-16
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (299)
Cast
- David Carradine
- Keith Carradine
- Robert Carradine
- James Keach
- Stacy Keach
- Dennis Quaid
- Randy Quaid
- Kevin Brophy
- Harry Carey Jr.
- Christopher Guest
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- 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 Long Riders about?
- A brother-bound outlaw gang turns postwar Missouri robberies into a doomed confrontation with the Pinkerton agency.
- What is The Long Riders like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Long Riders as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Long Riders violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Long Riders as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Long Riders?
- Critics broadly admire the film's fresh, vividly realized revisionist western style, handsome photography, and strong ensemble while noting its languid pace and loose story structure.
- Which films are like The Long Riders?
- Films with a similar feel include The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Wild Bunch, Bonnie and Clyde, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
- How long is The Long Riders?
- The Long Riders runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Long Riders?
- In United States, The Long Riders streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus.
