The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford [Blu-ray]
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford [Blu-ray]
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 02/05/2008 Run time: 160 minutes Rating: ROf 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.
Affleck and Pitt (who co-produced with Ridley Scott, among others) are mesmerizing in the title roles, but the movie is enriched by an exceptional supporting cast: Sam Shepard as Jesse’s older, more stable brother Frank; Sam Rockwell as Bob Ford’s own brother Charlie, whose post-assassination descent into madness is astonishing to behold; Paul Schneider, Garret Dillahunt, and Jeremy Renner as three variously doomed gang members; and Mary-Louise Parker, who as Jesse’s wife Zee has few lines yet manages with looks and body language to invoke a wellnigh-novelistic backstory for herself. There are also electrifying cameos by James Carville, doing solid actorly work as the governor of Missouri; Ted Levine, as a lawman of antic spirit; and Nick Cave, composer of the film’s score (with Warren Ellis) and screenwriter of the Aussie “Western” The Proposition, suddenly towering over a late scene to perform the folk song that set the terms for the book and movie’s title.
Still, the real costar is Roger Deakins, probably the finest cinematographer at work today. The landscapes of the movie (mostly in Alberta and Manitoba) will linger in the memory as long as the distinctive faces, and we seem to feel the sting of its snows on our cheeks. Interior scenes are equally persuasive. Few Westerns have conveyed so tangibly the bleakness and austerity of the spaces people of the frontier called home, and sought in vain to warm with human spirit. –Richard T. Jameson
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Great Watch!
Great film, both Pitt and Affleck really shine in their parts. It’s a little long, so if you’re not used to that, you may not enjoy it fully. It is well paced, even for its length, however.
3 Stars Almost as Long as the Title…
Adapted from Ron Hansen’s book of the same name, “Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” is a snail-paced psychological drama — heavy on the psychology, light on the drama. The elements are all in place for a good, possibly great, movie: spare, poetic dialogue delivered by well-cast actors (always nice to see Sam Rockwell, Sam Shepard, and the especially excellent Garret Dillahunt); lyrical, atmospheric cinematography by Oscar-nominated Roger Deakins; evocative soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis; and an interesting story featuring larger-than-life characters and melancholic themes.
So why do the elements not combine to make a great movie? There’s probably a long way of answering that question and a short way. Unlike the movie, I’ll opt for the shorter route. At two hours and forty minutes, “Assassination” is as slow as molasses in January. (And this from a guy whose favorite directors include Andrei Tarkovsky, Terrence Malick, and David Lean.) Here’s the problem, I think. Though meditatively paced, it is never clear what exactly the filmmakers are meditating on. America’s unhealthy obsession with outlaws? The exacting price of fame and notoriety? The disillusionment of hero-worship? The nature of betrayal? The complicated motivations and meanings behind an apparent act of cowardice? To get its jumbled ideas across, the movie relies on voice-over narration lifted whole cloth from Hansen’s book — a concession, in a way, to the fact that the film never solves the problem of how to make its characters’ interior struggles visually dramatic. Instead, the narrator informs us what the characters are thinking as we watch them stare pensively out a window or across a windswept plain.
Pitt is an interesting choice for the part of Jesse James. Casting a world-famous celebrity as the world-famous celebrity outlaw is a clever bit of meta-commentary. But the idea is more effective in the abstract than in the execution. Pitt lacks the intensity that makes you believe Jesse James murdered seventeen people. The movie as a whole would have benefited from the fierceness and unpredictability of an actor like Daniel Craig, whose piercing blue eyes can seem challenging, ruthless, and devoid of pity, including self-pity. Pitt should be commended for tackling interesting, offbeat material, however.
Casey Affleck, unlike Pitt, is able to manifest his character’s pained, insecure interior life through a performance eloquent with nervous mannerisms, unconvincing affectations, empty smiles, and crippling social awkwardness. Ford’s story is a sad one, worth telling, and no doubt when Hansen came across it in the history books he felt that he couldn’t improve on the truth. Perhaps the director, Andrew Dominik felt like he couldn’t improve on his source material — you can just about read the book in the same amount of time it takes to watch the movie.
4 Stars Well-made western drama
I enjoyed this film. Although the pace is slow, you become aware that the film is beautifully crafted and well-acted. Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt are excellent in the roles of Jesse James and Robert Ford. And who would’ve thought James Carville would take a stab at acting? I think this film is well worth your time if you like westerns.
5 Stars not what you might think
a lot of people will hear the name “Jesse James” and indulge misconceptions about this movie. they’ll think it’s a “western” in the ordinary sense of the term; they’ll expect a shoot ‘em up; they’ll want to see the movie or not want to see the movie based on what they guess it will be, but this movie is not what they guess it will be. those seeking a shoot-em-up will be disappointed; those dreading one - that includes You, Lady - will be very pleasantly surprised. this is a drama, and a remarkable achievement. if you appreciate beauty - visual beauty, musical beauty, linguistic beauty, and the beauty of magnificent acting - then you will appreciate this film. if you appreciate great literature, you will appreciate this film. it is based on the book of the same title by Ron Hansen; i wasn’t familiar with his writing before i saw this movie, but i dragged a friend of mine, kind of quietly kicking and screaming, to watch the DVD with me (She was dreading it because it’s about Jesse James), and She became a good bit more optimistic when She saw it was based on his book (She’s a literary critic for numerous newspapers and websites and a great admirer of Ron Hansen’s work), and She wound up thoroughly impressed with every aspect of the film (as i knew She would). i said i’d like to read the book; She told me i should and bought me a copy, and i found that almost every line uttered in the film was taken directly, lovingly, word-for-word, from Hansen’s remarkable prose - to the point that lines i didn’t quite catch in the movie - despite my having watched it about ten times - were made clear to me. clearly this movie was made by devoted admirers of Ron Hansen’s work, and it was made painstakingly and with unfathomable love. everything - *everything* - is perfect: the cinematography (in which Ridley Scott had a hand), the gorgeous, moody music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, and the masterful delivery of every single line by each magnificent actor (Casey Affleck not least of all).
i saw somebody calling this movie “muddled” and saying they couldn’t follow it; i think if you’re the sort of person who likes everything spelled out for you in very simple, straightforward terms that require no interpretation (nor any great deal of thought) on your part, you probably won’t “get” this movie. but if you appreciate thoughts and concepts artfully expressed in gorgeous phrasings - again, if you appreciate beauty - then you owe it to yourself to give this movie a chance.
here - i tell you what you do: go look at this copy of the book right here on Amazon.com - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - and use the “look inside” function to read a little bit of the text. if it leaves you scratching your head, then just go ahead and forget about the movie - you won’t like it. simple as that. but if you read that excerpt from the book and are surprised by the subdued elegance, power and beauty of Hansen’s writing, then this movie is most definitely for you.
5 Stars jesse james
I just saw this movie and thought it was terrific. I can’t believe this film did not do better in the theater. The actors did a marvelous job and the story was intriguing. The musical soundtrack was also enjoyable. Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck were impressive.
Filed under: Blue Ray Movie Reviews