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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 back-shooting 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, 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 mesmerising 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 well nigh-novelistic back-story 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 co-star 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
The film--only the second to be made by New Zealand–born writer-director Andrew Dominik--reminds us that Dominik's debut film, Chopper, 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 mesmerising 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 well nigh-novelistic back-story 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 co-star 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
Special Features
- A bonus disc featuring the documentary Death of An Outlaw that examines the life and death of the real Jesse James and includes interviews with all the key cast and filmmakers
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I felt in two minds about watching this film , half expecting it to be dolorous ,sombre, dull art-house exercise requiring resolute cinematic stamina . Not for the first time I was completely wrong .The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford is as gorgeous and hypnotic a film as I have ever seen .
The title does of course give way what is going to happen in this film but the real drama comes from the way the narrative explores the relationship between the two men and how circumstances dictate what fates befall both of them.
When we meet them both its September 1881 and they are both preparing to rob a train as part of the infamous James gang . Most of the gang we are informed by the films lyrical voice over ( Hugh Ross)are either dead or in prison but the two remaining James brothers Frank (Sam Shepard) and Jesse(Brad Pitt) are leading the heist. Also part of the gang are the Ford brothers Charley (Sam Rockwell) and Robert (Casey Affleck) Robert has a fan worship thing going on with Jesse and this marks the start of their bond , though not before the more worldly wise Frank says of Bob Ford "I don't know what it is about you, but the more you talk, the more you give me the willies."
It's a perspicacious comment as Bob is a bit creepy and is brilliantly portrayed by Affleck as such - ostensibly a sort of cowboy stalker. Jesse finds him amusing at first then comes to trust him before an all round paranoia and brooding malevolence takes over his character . These two borderline psycho's are well matched in many respects but the film adapted by director Andrew Dominick from the book by Robert Hansen takes its time in getting under the skin of these two characters so we understand implicitly how Ford comes to shooting Jesse James .This is complex and fully requires the lengthy running time in order to do it full justice.
Interestingly the film also explores Fords life post the shooting where he becomes a media celebrity in his own right yet is wracked by guilt and is thoroughly miserable.
The acting is top-notch throughout. Affleck as I alluded earlier is spookily good while Pitt is someone I often find irritating because he mumbles, but in this he's terrific- veering convincingly from wide eyed boyish enthusiasm to menacing glowers or explosive rage. Paul Schneider as gang member Dick Liddil a laconic poetry spouting lothario is especially good, though Mary Louise Parker as James wife Zee is given an underwritten role.
The real star of the film though is the cinematography of Roger Deakins, whose work with the Coen brothers has garnered plaudit's .He gives the film a sepia nostalgic glow but captures the landscape , vast fields of swaying corn or barren snow covered homesteads , magically. The landscapes become more frigid echoing the increasingly frosty relationship between the characters. The scene of a train robbery at night is one of transcendental and startling beauty. The soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is eerily spot on too.
Yes this film is slow but it's also thoroughly engrossing . It is truly insidiously compelling and though many will feel it's padded out , which is often my opinion of many films,I feel that not a frame is wasted in this movie. It truly is a masterpiece of the cinematic art -an all too rare commodity nowadays. Hugely commendable .
The title does of course give way what is going to happen in this film but the real drama comes from the way the narrative explores the relationship between the two men and how circumstances dictate what fates befall both of them.
When we meet them both its September 1881 and they are both preparing to rob a train as part of the infamous James gang . Most of the gang we are informed by the films lyrical voice over ( Hugh Ross)are either dead or in prison but the two remaining James brothers Frank (Sam Shepard) and Jesse(Brad Pitt) are leading the heist. Also part of the gang are the Ford brothers Charley (Sam Rockwell) and Robert (Casey Affleck) Robert has a fan worship thing going on with Jesse and this marks the start of their bond , though not before the more worldly wise Frank says of Bob Ford "I don't know what it is about you, but the more you talk, the more you give me the willies."
It's a perspicacious comment as Bob is a bit creepy and is brilliantly portrayed by Affleck as such - ostensibly a sort of cowboy stalker. Jesse finds him amusing at first then comes to trust him before an all round paranoia and brooding malevolence takes over his character . These two borderline psycho's are well matched in many respects but the film adapted by director Andrew Dominick from the book by Robert Hansen takes its time in getting under the skin of these two characters so we understand implicitly how Ford comes to shooting Jesse James .This is complex and fully requires the lengthy running time in order to do it full justice.
Interestingly the film also explores Fords life post the shooting where he becomes a media celebrity in his own right yet is wracked by guilt and is thoroughly miserable.
The acting is top-notch throughout. Affleck as I alluded earlier is spookily good while Pitt is someone I often find irritating because he mumbles, but in this he's terrific- veering convincingly from wide eyed boyish enthusiasm to menacing glowers or explosive rage. Paul Schneider as gang member Dick Liddil a laconic poetry spouting lothario is especially good, though Mary Louise Parker as James wife Zee is given an underwritten role.
The real star of the film though is the cinematography of Roger Deakins, whose work with the Coen brothers has garnered plaudit's .He gives the film a sepia nostalgic glow but captures the landscape , vast fields of swaying corn or barren snow covered homesteads , magically. The landscapes become more frigid echoing the increasingly frosty relationship between the characters. The scene of a train robbery at night is one of transcendental and startling beauty. The soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is eerily spot on too.
Yes this film is slow but it's also thoroughly engrossing . It is truly insidiously compelling and though many will feel it's padded out , which is often my opinion of many films,I feel that not a frame is wasted in this movie. It truly is a masterpiece of the cinematic art -an all too rare commodity nowadays. Hugely commendable .
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
It may be the longest title in film history but what a breath of fresh air in this day and age of overblown popcorn movies. Nothing wrong with popcorn movies but it's nice to get your teeth into something with a bit more bite and this has it in spades. Brad Pitt is perfectly cast as Jesse James but it's Casey Affleck, Ben's brother, as the assassin Robert Ford who steals the show. His performance is brilliantly understated and his journey from naïve kid to cold-blooded killer is a joy to behold. Why he didn't win a supporting actor Oscar for this is beyond me. However, all the performances are uniformly excellent, particularly Sam Rockwell as Charly Ford, Bob's brother.
Director Andrew Dominick is to be commended on producing such a leisurely and assured movie as this. Even though not a great deal happens in almost two and half hours the time flashes by because the story and the way it is told is so mesmerising. The attention to detail and the degree of authenticity is some of the best I've ever seen in a Western and the cinematography brilliantly captures the expanses of the plains. Nick Cave's score is also perfectly suited to the piece.
A true `masterpiece'.
Director Andrew Dominick is to be commended on producing such a leisurely and assured movie as this. Even though not a great deal happens in almost two and half hours the time flashes by because the story and the way it is told is so mesmerising. The attention to detail and the degree of authenticity is some of the best I've ever seen in a Western and the cinematography brilliantly captures the expanses of the plains. Nick Cave's score is also perfectly suited to the piece.
A true `masterpiece'.
46 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"For a movie that has sat on a shelf for two years gathering bad buzz, this quiet wow of a Western sneaks up as one hell of a satisfying surprise. Artfully exciting and compulsively watchable even at a butt-numbing 152 minutes, the film makes good on the promise." Peter Travers
After viewing this film, I sat for minutes, mind numb, recalling what I had just seen. A remarkable film, too remarkable to call a western, its genre is one I can't quite find a name for. From the title of the film we understand the story and the score. But halfway in we are so admiring of Brad Pitt as Jesse James, aka Tom Howard, that we want to believe that the title is a misnomer. Brad Pitt plays this role as it was meant to be focused, ruthless, intelligent, psycopathic and brilliant. Casey Affleck as Robert Ford has won my admiration. He is a true thespian. No acting was evident here, it was the real man. Sam Shepard plays Jesse's brother, Frank as imaginatively as possible. Mary Louise Parker as Jesse's wife leaves us with a haunting feel for her man. And James Carville, in his 1800's white tie and tuxedo, as the Governor is quite remarkable. Each and every role should be praised.
In 1881, Jesse and Frank James career of crime comes to a parting of the ways. As the film progresses the entire gang falls apart one way or another. As the filmn unfolds we know what the ending will be, but I was not prepared at all for the scene as it came to be. The scenes following were so profound and deadly that as I said I sat stunned for a few minutes recalling what I had just seen. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful. The stark, white cold winter of Missouri blends in with the stark and sparseness of the film and the characters. I could not find one item that I disagreed with in this film- remarkable, just remarkable.
"Jesse James wasn't just a good shot -- he was a skilled strategist who merged greed and talent to become one of the most notorious gunmen in history. People looking for a traditional Western and exciting gunplay will be sorely disappointed, but those with patience and an eye for character study will be enthralled by the results. 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' is a remarkable film, one that I'll revisit again and again." Kenneth Brown
With the addition of Nick Cave's melancholy music that is at once profound and moving this is a film for everyone. Nick Cave shows up in the film singing 'The Ballad of Jesse James' and it is the right touch at the right time. Brilliant film, brilliant acting-
Highly Recommended. prisrob 03-02-08
Gone Baby Gone
After viewing this film, I sat for minutes, mind numb, recalling what I had just seen. A remarkable film, too remarkable to call a western, its genre is one I can't quite find a name for. From the title of the film we understand the story and the score. But halfway in we are so admiring of Brad Pitt as Jesse James, aka Tom Howard, that we want to believe that the title is a misnomer. Brad Pitt plays this role as it was meant to be focused, ruthless, intelligent, psycopathic and brilliant. Casey Affleck as Robert Ford has won my admiration. He is a true thespian. No acting was evident here, it was the real man. Sam Shepard plays Jesse's brother, Frank as imaginatively as possible. Mary Louise Parker as Jesse's wife leaves us with a haunting feel for her man. And James Carville, in his 1800's white tie and tuxedo, as the Governor is quite remarkable. Each and every role should be praised.
In 1881, Jesse and Frank James career of crime comes to a parting of the ways. As the film progresses the entire gang falls apart one way or another. As the filmn unfolds we know what the ending will be, but I was not prepared at all for the scene as it came to be. The scenes following were so profound and deadly that as I said I sat stunned for a few minutes recalling what I had just seen. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful. The stark, white cold winter of Missouri blends in with the stark and sparseness of the film and the characters. I could not find one item that I disagreed with in this film- remarkable, just remarkable.
"Jesse James wasn't just a good shot -- he was a skilled strategist who merged greed and talent to become one of the most notorious gunmen in history. People looking for a traditional Western and exciting gunplay will be sorely disappointed, but those with patience and an eye for character study will be enthralled by the results. 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' is a remarkable film, one that I'll revisit again and again." Kenneth Brown
With the addition of Nick Cave's melancholy music that is at once profound and moving this is a film for everyone. Nick Cave shows up in the film singing 'The Ballad of Jesse James' and it is the right touch at the right time. Brilliant film, brilliant acting-
Highly Recommended. prisrob 03-02-08
Gone Baby Gone
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A try hard Western
Although many of the performances in this movie are over mannered, or in the case of Brad Pitt, entirely unconvincing (I imagine the real Jesse James would have been rolling in... Read more
Published 27 days ago by Mr. William R. Parkes
a brilliant story, full of tension, jealousy, and Intriguing
UNCUT REGION 2 DVD Duration
153 minutes IN
Widescreen
Languages
English - Dolby Digital (5. Read more
153 minutes IN
Widescreen
Languages
English - Dolby Digital (5. Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. F. husseiny
slow and boreing
i found this film boreing,seems like its never gunna end, a few highlights,but i love westerns,and wont be watching this again,cant understand why everyone else rates it so highly.
Published 2 months ago by graham b
The Assassination of the Myth?
I'd always resisted this film, due to its title, namely the 'coward' part. More a case of a slanderous slur, rather than a criminal charge. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Tim Kidner
Unlikeable Western Legends.
The Assassination of Jesse James stars Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck and Sam Rockwell. There's nothing really wrong with this film I just prefer alot of other Westerns(especially the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by j.r
"I shot Jesse James!"
Not so much a drama as an old photo-album come to life, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is one of those movies that will either impress as a classy piece... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Alwin Templar
Review
Although the pace of the film can be a little laboured at times, the cinematography is absolutely amazing. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mikey01
Casey Affleck Impresses
I'm going to ignore the many virtues of this film, which have been admirably discussed in innumerable other reviews, to concentrate on one aspect: Casey Affleck. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ms. Jennifer C. Fieldsend
Excellent, but no extras, despite advertised
I can't really add anything about the film to those reviews already here. It's a slow-paced character study and not a traditional western by any means. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ian Carlisle
Unsung Hero
Until recently, maybe it was just me being forgetful, but i had never even heard of this film, but since it had great reviews, a good cast and very interesting story i thought i... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Josh
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