The Assasination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Filed Under: Film, Reviews | Article Tags : DVD review
By: The Dweeb
February 2008
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The western genre has seen a revival this past year with the likes of 3:10 To Yuma and this entry. Assassination is a lengthy, slow moving film about the intriguing story of the legendary outlaw Jesse James and his eventual demise, and his transformation from man to myth as he is truly one of the first to gain celebrity status in a young America still recovering from the Civil War. It has a dream like quality, with hauntingly beautiful cinematography that makes it quite the spectacle to watch unfold. I felt that the story did not move much in terms of action, but the characters are what kept my interest.
Brad Pitt in the role of Jesse James brings in his A game, with an energy not seen in his acting career since Fight Club or even 12 Monkeys (Characters in those were very similar). He is a maverick, unpredictable, paranoid and is a man of many faces. Pitt takes on the complex role with a relish, one minute he’s joking around, the next he’s killing the same man he joked with. Jesse James is starting to unravel slowly, you don’t quite know what’s coming next or what he’s thinking. He’s at the end of his rope, and on the outset doesn’t seem to know what’s going on, but he has a knack for reading people and manages to squeeze out the truth. Face it, he’s just an arsehole and made me very uncomfortable watching this movie. I had no regrets after his demise, he just was not a likeable character. I hope that didn’t spoil things for ya, after all it is in the title of the film.
But honestly, a man like Jesse James would never go down to some punk. I think he had enough, his depression had taken too strong a hold on him, his number was up. Was it regret perhaps at his past transgressions? Did he know the law was coming for him? Jesse committed suicide, but just couldn’t bring himself to do it. What a bastard.
But who made me even more uncomfortable was Robert Ford, portrayed by the up and coming Casey Affleck. Frankly, I think he was in the title role and his nomination in Best Supporting Actor category was a mistake. Casey was fantastic in this role, and I just couldn’t pin down this character. The way he came across, you weren’t quite sure if he was slightly retarded or not, he seemed so naive and green then turns around and is considered the smart guy. Always with this goofy smile, he must be fooling with us. He idolized his childhood hero, and when he finally learns the man personally, his opinion changes drastically, to one of hate. “He’s just a human being.”
As I said before, the cinematography was like peering into an old painting. It held a dream like quality, with this sepia tone to give it a sense of history. The long shots of the country side conveyed the vast loneliness of the Missouri highlands, to the darkened cold rooms that made it so claustrophobic. Its no wonder this one is nominated in the cinematography category.
But I did feel the film went on a bit too long. The movie going public also felt the same way, we have become conditioned to expect lots of action in a movie billed as a western. There are long moments in between where you may lose interest. Some of that could have been cut out without damaging the core of the film. Scenes were long and meandering, there was too much beating around the bush. If it were tightened up more I think it would have made a much better film.
The DVD itself is also very disappointing. Yes, the technical aspects are superb, but Warners has gone barebones with this one. There are no extra features, zip, nada. Perhaps there is a directors cut in the future? Which is too bad, this is a film that demands that extra features be included. So, with that in mind don’t bother with the purchase.
Reviewer’s Opinion: RENT IT!!
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