The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

[daisho2004]

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Of all the movies made about or glancingly involving the 19th-century outlaw Jesse Woodson James, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is the most reflective, most ambitious, most intricately fascinating, and indisputably most beautiful. Based on the novel of the same name by Ron Hansen, it picks up James late in his career, a few hours before his final train robbery, then covers the slow catastrophe of the gang's breakup over the next seven months even as the boss himself settles into an approximation of genteel retirement. But in another sense all of the movie is later than that. The very title assumes the audience's familiarity with James as a figure out of history and legend, and our awareness that he was--will be--murdered in his parlor one quiet afternoon by a backshooting crony.

The film--only the second to be made by New Zealand–born writer-director Andrew Dominik--reminds us that Dominik's debut film, Chopper (2000), was the cunningly off-kilter portrait of another real-life criminal psychopath who became a kind of rock star to his society. The Jesse James of this telling is no Robin Hood robbing the rich to give to the poor, and that train robbery we witness is punctuated by acts of gratuitous brutality, not gallantry. Nineteen-year-old Bob Ford (Casey Affleck) seeks to join the James gang out of hero worship stoked by the dime novels he secretes under his bed, but his glam hero (Brad Pitt) is a monster who takes private glee in infecting his accomplices with his own paranoia, then murdering them for it. In the careful orchestration of James's final moments, there's even a hint that he takes satisfaction in his own demise.

OK My Review: I got to watch this Western last night, and while it had a good storyline to it.It was a long and slow movie with little to no action, Brad Pitt was great as Jesse James. But being a fan of Western movies,I was hoping for some Action scenes that never showed up. But if your looking for a good movie to watch and have atleast 2-1/2hrs. to kill pick up this movie and give it a watch.

[Alex]

Impeccably shot and acted, finely observed in character details and really well directed minus a few clunky moments. That being said, it's a movie that's meant to be studied but not enjoyed. I liked it a whole lot, and I still could never picture anybody watching this just for fun.

[GwaiLoMoFo]

I agree with you Daisho, and I moderately enjoyed it. Just watched 3:10 To Yuma and felt about the same. Little slow at times, but more action in 3:10. And Christian Bale is my fav actor, so always a pleasure to see him in action. Though the performances in Assassination were better overall. Both worth a rent.

[KevinC]

I saw this in the theater about two weeks after it came out. The emphasis is on “I.” Actually, I think someone else sat down right as the movie started. I had been waiting for this one for quite some time. Warner Bros. did everything they could not to promote it. It is an artsy cinematography film, and not the type of thing most on this forum would enjoy. I will say this though, I did not look at my watch at all from the beginning to the end of the movie.

If you like depressing movies with creepy characters this is it. Robert Ford the archetype of all fanboys. Lol! The movie is another in revisionist westerns where they go after the Hollywood West and Jesse James legend.