By Susan Wloszcyna, USA TODAY

08/17/2001 - Updated 03:14 PM ET

(Gabriel Macht) and Jesse (Colin Farrell, right) in American Outlaws. Irish hunkster Colin Farrell is the sexy stallion who easily gallops off with American Outlaws, a weak whinny of a horse opera tailor-made for those who can't quite locate Young Guns or The Long Riders in their video store. As the legendary Jesse James, this fully loaded pistol dazzles with his daredevil escapes and double-fisted shooting skills. He may not summon the commanding presence that the bigger-than-life part requires, but few will care when that wicked glint in his black-coffee eyes recalls the early Mel Gibson or Brad Pitt.

No wonder Scott Caan as fellow desperado Cole Younger frets about his billing on "Wanted" posters and in press reports about their bank robberies. The attention-grabbing Farrell makes the rest of his gang in their trendy dusters and beaten brims look like rejects from the J. Peterman catalog.

The creators of this Western (or Midwestern, since it takes place around Missouri) sure do owe that purdy lady Madonna a debt of gratitude for her timely revival of cowpoke chic. Otherwise, Outlaws — and its still-unreleased rival Texas Rangers starring James Van Der Beek — would just mosey off into the sunset without much fanfare.

The yarn goes through the usual paces — bank job pulled, criminals gloat, villainous authorities fume — until it picks up speed only at the end when a solo Farrell eludes a train full of would-be captors. They include infamous crime-fighter Allan Pinkerton (a bearded Timothy Dalton, with a bristling Scottish burr), who's in awe of the gang's wiles.

Jesse's cohorts, such as Gabriel Macht as smarter sibling Frank, are painted in broad Robin Hood-y strokes as folk heroes, former Confederate guerillas who snatch cash out of the hands of the mighty railroad barons who are stealing away their farms. They josh about like junior editions of Butch and Sundance and barely blink when someone is gunned down, even their own kinfolk.

Kathy Bates aw-shucks her way through her God-fearing Ma James, and Ali Larter sparkles as the sassy lass who captures Jesse's heart. But only Farrell has any chance of going down in history for his onscreen exploits here.