Walter Hill is a bit of a madman. You have to be to pull off what he did in 1980. Hollywood is usually a place of massive egos and "me-first" billing, but the cast of Long Riders was built on a gimmick that actually worked. It wasn't just a gimmick, honestly. It was a masterstroke of casting that made the movie feel more grounded than almost any other Western of that era.
Think about it. Four sets of real-life brothers playing four sets of outlaw brothers.
It sounds like something a marketing executive dreamed up over three martinis. But when you watch the Keach, Carradine, Quaid, and Guest brothers on screen, there’s this unspoken shorthand. They move the same. They have the same nervous ticks. They look at each other with that weird mix of love and "I might punch you in the face" that only siblings really have.
The Keach Brothers as the Jameses
Jesse and Frank James are the anchors of the story. If you don't get them right, the whole thing falls apart. James Keach (Jesse) and Stacy Keach (Frank) weren't just actors here; James actually co-wrote the script and spent years trying to get this thing made. He was obsessed with the historical Jesse James, not the Robin Hood version we usually see in movies.
Jesse was a cold guy. He was a professional. James Keach plays him with this quiet intensity that feels genuinely dangerous. Then you have Stacy Keach as Frank. Stacy was already a massive star at this point, but he plays second fiddle to his brother here because that was the reality of the James gang. Frank was the older, more literate, more thoughtful one.
The chemistry works because they aren't trying to out-act each other. There is a scene where they are just sitting around, and the way they lean against the wall is identical. You can't teach that to two strangers.
The Carradine Dynasty: The Younger Brothers
If the James brothers were the brains and the soul, the Youngers were the muscle and the chaos. David, Keith, and Robert Carradine played Cole, Jim, and Bob Younger. This is probably the most impressive part of the cast of Long Riders because the Carradines were Hollywood royalty.
📖 Related: Wrong Address: Why This Nigerian Drama Is Still Sparking Conversations
David Carradine was coming off Kung Fu. He was a counter-culture icon. Playing Cole Younger, he brings this weary, stoic energy. He's the guy who takes dozens of bullets and just keeps walking. It’s legendary.
Then you have Keith Carradine as Jim. He’s the handsome one, the one who wants a normal life but keeps getting dragged back into the mud. Robert Carradine plays Bob, the kid. He’s eager, he’s a bit reckless, and he’s trying so hard to prove he belongs with the big dogs.
The tension between David and Keith in the film feels lived-in. There’s a scene involving a knife fight and a woman (played by Pamela Reed, who is incredible as Belle Starr) where the rivalry feels sharp. It’s not just "movie drama." It feels like family baggage being aired out in the middle of the Old West.
The Quaids and the Guests
We often forget that Randy and Dennis Quaid were in this together. This was before Dennis became a massive leading man. He plays Ed Miller as a total hothead. He’s the guy who messes up the plan because he can't keep his cool. Randy Quaid plays Clell Miller, and he’s basically the big, hulking protector.
They don't get as much screen time as the James or Younger brothers, but they fill out the world.
And then there are the Guests. Christopher Guest (yes, the Spinal Tap guy) and Nicholas Guest play the Ford brothers. Bob and Charlie Ford. In most movies, the Fords are portrayed as "the cowards who shot Jesse James." Here, they are portrayed as these sort of pathetic, desperate outsiders. They aren't "part" of the family in the same way, and the movie uses the fact that they are real brothers to show how they were isolated from the rest of the gang.
👉 See also: Who was the voice of Yoda? The real story behind the Jedi Master
Why the Northfield Raid still hurts to watch
Most Westerns have a "fun" shootout. The Long Riders does not. The Northfield, Minnesota raid is one of the most brutal sequences in cinema history.
Walter Hill used a lot of slow motion—a nod to Sam Peckinpah—but he used it to show the physical toll of being an outlaw. When the cast of Long Riders gets shot up in that town, it’s visceral. You see the brothers trying to save each other. You see Cole Younger (David Carradine) literally acting as a human shield for his siblings.
It’s a mess of blood, horses crashing through glass, and the realization that the era of the outlaw was over. The movie doesn't glamorize the end. It shows them as bleeding, broken men who just want to go home but have nowhere left to go.
A Note on Historical Accuracy
Is it 100% accurate? No. Hollywood never is. Belle Starr probably didn't have a thing with Cole Younger in exactly that way. Jesse James was likely even more of a "true believer" in the Confederate cause than the movie suggests.
But the vibe is right. The costumes aren't flashy. The guns look heavy. The world feels damp and dirty. It’s a "Mud and Blood" Western, and that’s why it has stayed a cult classic while other 80s Westerns have been totally forgotten.
The soundtrack you can't get out of your head
Ry Cooder. If you know, you know.
✨ Don't miss: Not the Nine O'Clock News: Why the Satirical Giant Still Matters
The music in this movie is as much a character as the actors. It uses period-accurate instruments—dulcimers, banjos, fiddles—but with a bluesy, slide-guitar edge. It makes the whole thing feel like a folk legend come to life. Without Cooder’s score, the cast of Long Riders would just be men in hats. With the music, they feel like ghosts from a past that refuses to die.
Why we won't see this again
You couldn't make this movie today. Not like this.
First, finding four sets of acting brothers who are all at the right age and level of fame is a statistical nightmare. We have the Hemsworths, sure. Maybe the Skarsgårds? But getting them all in a room for a gritty Western with no CGI and lots of practical horse stunts? Good luck.
Also, the industry has changed. This was a mid-budget movie made for adults. Today, everything is either a $200 million blockbuster or a $5 million indie. The Long Riders lives in that beautiful middle ground that barely exists anymore.
Honestly, the movie is a miracle. It’s a specific moment in time where talent, family ties, and a director’s vision collided.
What to do if you want to dive deeper into the history
If the movie piqued your interest in the real-life James-Younger gang, don't just stop at the credits. There is a lot of "lost" history there that the film hints at but doesn't fully explain.
- Visit the Northfield Historical Society: They have a museum in the actual building where the bank raid happened. You can see the bullet holes. It puts the scale of the "cast" into perspective when you see how small the space actually was.
- Read "Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War" by T.J. Stiles: This is the definitive biography. It clears up the myths and shows why Jesse was such a polarizing figure.
- Watch Walter Hill’s other work: If you liked the grit of The Long Riders, check out The Warriors or Extreme Prejudice. The man knows how to film masculinity without making it feel like a caricature.
- Listen to the Ry Cooder score on vinyl: It’s the only way to really hear the texture of the instruments. It changes the way you view the film's ending.
The legacy of the cast of Long Riders isn't just about the gimmick. It’s about the fact that for two hours, we actually believed these men were kin. In a world of fake everything, that real-life brotherhood gave us something authentic. It’s a film that demands to be watched on the biggest screen you can find, with the sound turned way up.