Between 1919 and 1924, four brothers from Uvalde, Texas, robbed 80 banks and six trains. The Newton brothers began their spree in Texas, but quickly moved north as far as Canada, stealing millions of dollars along the way.

The Newton boys capitalized on the perfect era for their crime. During the early 20's, insurance companies backed the banks, who had not yet figured out how to protect their safes from a hefty dose of nitroglycerine. Overlooked by cinema until now, the Newton boys were the most successful bank robbers in America's history.

"In 1948, Willis Newton sent his lawyer to Hollywood to sell this movie," The Newton Boys writer/director Richard Linklater said. "To his dying day, he knew he had a better story."

For five decades, Hollywood didn't know what it was missing. In the meantime, the studios produced blood-and-bullets outlaw movies like Bonnie and Clyde, which thrived on the hype of violence but tended to ignore the human aspect of those involved. The Newton Boys never lets the spectacle of the crime drown out the humanity of its characters.

Of course, it helps that Linklater assembled a cast of Hollywood's most desirable young actors to play the brothers. As Willis Newton, Matthew McConaughey supplies the sly grin and undying optimism of the group's leader. Ethan Hawke is feisty as Jess, while Skeet Ulrich plays it bashful as Joe. As the fourth and somewhat overlooked brother, Vincent D'Onofrio seems out of place.

Actually, it's the brothers' older partner, Glasscock (Dwight Yoakam) who threatens to steal the show. Yoakam has steadily molded himself into an impressive actor over the past few years. As Glasscock, his weary experience helps to balance the other characters' youthful enthusiasm.

What separates the film from those like it could easily be traced back to the nature of the Newton boys themselves. Though they always carried weapons and weren't afraid to fire them when necessary, the brothers often treated their victims well, conducting all their robberies without killing a single person. In their own words, they were the little thieves stealing from the big thieves.

Claude Stanush, who co-wrote the script with Linklater and Clark Walker, conducted interviews with Willis Newton for a biography he wrote. The material formed the movie's backbone, while extensive research in Texas newspapers and national libraries helped flesh out the script.

"I think it's Willis himself who's the primary author of this story," Walker said. "It's his voice, his dialogue, his themes, his take on the world."

The Newtons' career could easily fuel a television series for several seasons, but Linklater tries his best to convey its magnitude in two-hours by focusing on the important robberies. We still get to experience the rest through a collage of exploding safes and juicy headlines, and intimate moments (lopsided towards Willis) tie the events together.

The Newton Boys represents a step up for Richard Linklater, who got his start here in Austin with Slacker. In the early 90's, Linklater made a niche for himself by directing several dialogue-driven films about young people searching for the meaning of life and love in their protected microcosms. The action typically unfolds in the course of a single day, during which characters trade philosophies like locker room stories and benefit from minor life lessons.

With The Newton Boys, Linklater makes a completely different movie. From its classic opening credits to the individual character wrap-ups at the end, the movie is clearly a tribute to early filmmaking. With an entire bank-robbing career crammed into two hours, The Newton Boys naturally feels compressed. With a plot that never stops moving, The Newton Boys is pure fun from beginning to end (and even continuing into the credits where a few unexpected surprises lie waiting).

After the recent success of certain big-budget fact-based films (you know what I'm talking about), The Newton Boys manages to deliver a much livelier experience on a comparatively modest budget. The Newton Boys offers a cast that could steal teen hearts away from Leonardo DiCaprio and an ending that should leave audiences smiling.