<strong><span class="s1">The Baytown Outlaws<br/> </span>Director: Barry Battles</strong><br/><strong> Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, </strong><br/><strong> Eva Longoria, Daniel Cudmore, Travis Fimmel, Clayne Crawford </strong><br/><strong> <span class="s2">***</span></strong> Not to be taken seriously, <em>The Baytown Outlaws</em> is a politically incorrect, bloodily fun attempt to channel some of the cheap thrills of grindhouse cinema from the 1960s and 1970s. Three grungy redneck brothers scratch a living as low-paid assassins for the local sheriff. After botching a job that leaves the wrong people dead, they think their luck has turned when Celeste (Longoria) offers them US$25,000 (Dh91,000) to retrieve her godson from her violent ex, Carlos (Thornton, in top scenery-chewing form). What she hasn’t told them is that the former is a wheelchair-bound teenager, the latter a ruthless drug lord. The director Battles throws gangs of sexy biker chicks, Native Americans who scalp their victims, and African-Americans who look like they've escaped from a <em>Mad Max </em>movie into the wild mix, whose brutal nihilism is tempered (slightly) by the loving bond between the killer siblings. There is nothing particularly new, but <em>The Baytown Outlaws</em> is well-made, well-acted and action-packed. It even has a heart. As an unpretentious slice of midnight movie mayhem, it delivers. Just don't expect good taste. <strong><a href="mailto:artlife@thenational.ae">artlife@thenational.ae</a></strong> Follow us Follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thenationalArtsandLife">Facebook</a> for discussions, entertainment, reviews, wellness and news.
