Skip to main content

The Outlaws review: With Christopher Walken, crime pays

It’s a near-universally held truth that Christopher Walken makes everything better. Whether it’s a music video, a sketch comedy bit, or a feature-length film, everything is a little bit cooler when the Oscar-winning actor is involved. The Amazon series The Outlaws proves that’s as true for British crime comedies as it is for every other genre.

Co-created and directed by Emmy winner Stephen Merchant (The OfficeExtras), The Outlaws follows seven strangers forced to perform community service together in Bristol, England. When they discover a bag of money in the building they’re cleaning, it sets off a series of events that tests whether they can overcome their differences long enough to survive.

The cast of The Outlaws stands in a line with their community service vests on.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Walken joins an ensemble cast in the series, and portrays con artist Frank Sheldon, who rejoins his daughter’s family after a stint in prison. The crew of misfits paying off their debts to society also includes bumbling lawyer Greg (played by Merchant), kleptomaniac Rani (Rhianne Barreto), businessman John (Darren Boyd), activist Myrna (Clare Perkins), influencer Gabby (Eleanor Tomlinson), and local troublemaker Christian (Gamba Cole), who’s serving out his sentence while caring for his teenage sister.

More on Amazon Prime Video

Although he’s the most high-profile actor in the series (and just as entertaining to watch as ever), Walken never overshadows the talented cast around him. Each member of the titular group of ne’er-do-wells gets ample amounts of backstory-nourishing attention, making it hard not to cheer for them as the series rolls along — that even goes Boyd’s character, whose casual racism makes him a tough sell even on his best days.

A woman takes a picture of a fellow community service team member in The Outlaws.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Still, while Walken is captivating and each cast member shines in their own way, they’re at their best when they’re together — whether in small clusters that contrast their personalities or larger groups that have them bouncing off each other in unexpected ways. Merchant is a master of small exchanges that yield big laughs, and those moments propel the series forward every time it starts to feel bogged down in drama.

Over the course of the season’s six episodes, The Outlaws occasionally seems desperate to establish its dramatic cred, but tends to stall when it lingers too long on the main narrative thread — one involving a drug kingpin’s stolen money, local law enforcement’s investigation, and the moral quandary faced by the group.

Stephen Merchant and Christopher Walken talk in a scene from The Outlaws.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Fortunately, the strength of the humor makes up for any rough plot threads, because when the primary crime narrative does wrap up, the resolution isn’t an entirely satisfying one. Instead, seeing the characters finally overcome their differences ends up being a more rewarding culmination to the story arcs at play in the series, regardless of who ends up with the money.

The series’ talented, endlessly entertaining cast is ultimately the biggest selling point of The Outlaws, and how much enjoyment you get from it will likely depend on whether you’re looking for a crime drama with a dash of comedy, or a character-based comedy with a dash of crime drama. If it’s the latter, you’re in for a treat, but if it’s the former, you might have to work a little harder to enjoy the series. Even so, there’s plenty to like about The Outlaws regardless of your expectations, and the show’s talented cast — including, of course, Walken — makes a good series even better.

Season 1 of The Outlaws premieres April 1 on Amazon Prime Video.

The Outlaws (2021)

The Outlaws
7.7/10
1 Season
Genre Comedy, Crime, Drama
Cast Christopher Walken, Stephen Merchant, Darren Boyd
Created by Stephen Merchant, Elgin James

Editors' Recommendations

Movie images and data from:
Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
3 rom-coms on Prime Video you need to watch in September
A young woman and man sit together at a table in a scene from She's Out Of My League.

Now that the weather is getting cooler and fall is on its way, you might be looking to curl up with a good rom-com while you relax after a hard day’s work, for a date night on the weekend, or maybe just for a night in by yourself. From the classics to modern takes on the genre, Prime Video has plenty of rom-coms from which to choose.

With these three rom-coms worth watching in September, you can take a walk down memory lane and head back to the ‘80s with an iconic flick, delve into an forbidden LGBTQ  romance in a story based on a popular young adult novel, or, for those who prefer more comedy and less romance, laugh heartily along with a hilarious 2010s story of an unexpected, but totally charming coupling.
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
When Harry Met Sally (1989) - Official Trailer (HD)

Read more
3 underrated movies on Prime Video you need to watch in September
Two men sit in a bathtub in Jeff, Who Lives at Home.

There are always new movies coming to Amazon Prime Video, including both old and new titles. Some of these movies might be ones you have watched already, but a few are underrated ones that you may never have seen way back in the day, or perhaps saw when you were really young and completely forgot about them.

It’s never too late to check out a movie from decades past, and there are options in every genre. Here, we’re highlighting three underrated movies on Prime Video that are worth watching in September before they’re gone. Movies come and go on Prime Video all the time, so you never know when a title will no longer be available to stream.
The Bad News Bears (1976)
The Bad News Bears (1976) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers

Read more
The best shows on Amazon Prime right now (September 2023)
Two women in elaborate garb walk with a man in a shit and vest in a scene from The Wheel of Time season 2 on Amazon Prime Video.

The content experience on Amazon Prime Video just keeps getting better and better. Not only can you now watch Thursday Night Football exclusively on the streamer, but the selection of TV shows keeps growing as well. This month, popular original The Wheel of Time returns for its second season, classic crime drama (arguably the one that inspired them all) L.A. Law is available to stream, and a new Amazon original young adult mystery from writer Harlan Coben, Shelter, has premiered to rave reviews.

There are new shows coming to Amazon all the time, and we're here to keep you updated by advising not only what's new, but by handpicking the best shows on Amazon Prime right now.

Read more