The Outsider

"His justice comes from the barrel of a gun."

2002 1h 59m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 42

DramaRomanceWesternTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Montana sheep farmer Rebecca Yoder offers sanctuary to an on-the-lam outlaw, Johnny Gault, who is suffering from a gunshot wound. Yoder is a recent widow, and her decision to help the outsider doesn't sit well with her Quaker community. As a romance brews between her and Gault, it puts in jeopardy her standing among her devout neighbors. But when an evil rancher makes a play for the community's land, Gault's sharpshooting skills might prove his worth after all.

“His justice comes from the barrel of a gun.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Tim Daly
Johnny Gault
Naomi Watts
Rebecca Yoder
Keith Carradine
Noah Weaver
David Carradine
Doctor Lucas Henry
Thomas Curtis
Benjo Yoder
Brett Tucker
Ben Yoder
John Noble
Fergus Hunter
Grant Piro
Woodrow Wharton

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Randa Haines
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Randa Haines, shot by Ben Nott. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Todd Boekelheide. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lisa Bromwell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tim Daly and Naomi Watts and Keith Carradine carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "His justice comes from the barrel of a gun.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0289374 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Randa Haines directs. Ben Nott behind the camera. Todd Boekelheide scores. Lisa Bromwell cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 24 years ago.
2Directed by Randa Haines, shot by Ben Nott. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Todd Boekelheide. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Lisa Bromwell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Tim Daly and Naomi Watts and Keith Carradine carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "His justice comes from the barrel of a gun.".
7IMDB entry: tt0289374 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ben Nott
Original score: Todd Boekelheide
Editing: Lisa Bromwell
Production design: Graham "Grace" Walker
Costume design: Anna Borghesi
Makeup / hair: Vivienne Boo Fox
Stunt coordinator: Josef Schwaiger
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Outsider (2002)

Also by

Randa Haines

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

dennyjt2022-08-01
★ 6/10
Shades of “Angel & The Badman” in this tale of wounded gunfighter Daly turning up at Quaker Watts’ shack. She takes him in and nurses him back to health, although wary of his quick temper. As he recovers, he is shadowed by her wide-eyed son, in the manner of “Shane”. Despite the obvious antecedents, this succeeds on its own merits as a rewarding adult Western. The local gang are gunning for Daly, having earlier swiftly dispatched Watts’ husband, but she finds opposition to her burgeoning love from the leaders of her cult, as Daly goes to town to face the gang. Keith Carradine is the religious leader, David Carradine the doctor.
Wuchak2025-09-13
★ 8/10
Hidden gem of a Western In Montana, 1887, a shootist (Tim Daly) finds sanctuary with a widow (Naomi Watts) & her son, who happen to belong to a Plain People sect. Keith Carradine plays a neighboring elder while David Carradine is on hand as the local doctor. "The Outsider" (2002) meshes ideas from “Angel and the Badman,” “Shane,” “Witness” and “The Scarlet Letter” (1995) and is pretty much on par with the best of ’em in its own unique way. There’s a reverent, beautiful vibe reminiscent of “The Last of the Mohicans” (1992), just with the setting & tone of the future “Forsaken” with Donald & Kiefer Sutherland. Two heavy topics are addressed. One is absolute pacifism vs limited pacifism. The small sect advocates the former while the movie advocates the latter. Rebecca Yoder (Naomi) argues her case on the grounds of “turning the cheek,” but the Lord was talking about ignoring an insult for the sake of peace in that passage (since the statement referred to responding to a backhanded slap to the face); he wasn’t talking about dealing with serious criminal acts, like murder. As far as criminal acts go, Christ plainly said, “If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.” Nehemiah 4 emphasizes how the returning Hebrews to Jerusalem “did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other.” In other words, self-protection (including protecting your loved ones) against criminal threat is a natural right. For anyone who argues that Christ condemned living by the sword, there’s a vast difference between “living by the sword” and utilizing it when necessary. This explains why the disciples had swords in their possession for protection against thieves and cutthroats in their long travels, as shown in Luke 22:49-50. The other interesting topic concerns religious sectarianism and the issues thereof. The group shown in the movie are noble people, no doubt, but Johnny Gault (Daly) observes that they’ve inadvertently hindered their faith by an obsession with rules, which is legal-ism. The problem with this is that “the letter kills”; and this explains what happens to Rebecca’s brother. Will she allow legalism to kill her & her family (literally or figuratively) or will she escape? This has nothing to do with faith in God and everything to do with not putting God in a man-made box, which stifles life and stultifies growth. It runs 1 hours, 58 minutes, and was shot in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. GRADE: A-