The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Directed by Andrew Dominik

Written by Ron Hansen (Novel) and Andrew Dominik

"Poor Jesse had a wife, a lady all her life

And three children they were so brave

But that dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard

Has laid ol' Jesse James in his grave"

-The Ballad of Jesse James

When reading the title of this film, what do you think of? What images and feelings come to you when you think of the famous outlaw Jesse James? What do you think of when you think of the man that killed him, Robert Ford? The zeitgeist of the life and death of Jesse James is absolutely critical to this film as it serves to show the audience the real men behind the myth.

The film follows both Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and Robert Ford (Casey Affleck) in the last year of Jesse's life, from the autumn of 1881 to the spring of 1882. Bob Ford and his brother Charley join Frank (Sam Shepard) and Jesse on their last train robbery and soon after the gang splits up and goes their separate ways. However Jesse can't leave the outlaw life behind and soon finds himself aching to go on another string of robberies. Bob Ford, meanwhile, has idolized Jesse his entire life and as he sees the kind of man his idol is the attraction and glamor wear off to the point that Bob becomes resentful and hateful of him, all the while seeking validation from him. It's more of a character study and Greek or Shakespearean tragedy than a historical drama so if you were looking for a more historical movie you might be disappointed but there is still a lot of history for any history buffs interested in the film.

The story is very well told with the solemn, matter of fact tone the narrator uses perfectly complementing the soundtrack and cinematography. The opening scene just sucks you right in to the world and story. I've included the link to the intro to the film and I'd recommend you watch it if you're on the fence about seeing this. It doesn't spoil anything, it just sets the tone and atmosphere of the story.

Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2gY_e1ZKD8

"Rooms seemed hotter when he was in them. Rains fell straighter. Clocks slowed. Sounds were amplified."

I cannot overrstate just how strong the acting in this film is. Every single performance in this film is solid, there are no weak links at all. There are of course the leads who get the most screen time and thus have the most time to flex their acting muscles but so many of the other performances are so good I couldn't help but see their characters and not their actual personalities, which is pretty rare in film for me. A lot of the cast was relatively unknown at the time as well, Casey Affleck had some smaller roles but didn't have much in the way of recognition and Jeremy Renner got his break a year after Assassination with The Hurt Locker.

The casting of Brad Pitt as Jesse James works on every single level. Jesse James is a larger than life American cultural icon and to get perhaps the most well known and larger than life actor working today was a fantastic choice. I've always thought highly of Pitt as an actor, he never really seems to coast at all in his roles. He always seems like he's trying to put on a good show, even in bad movies like World War Z and only okay movies like Troy (to be fair though neither of those are his fault and I actually really like Troy). He is at the top of his game as Jesse in this film and puts on what I would argue is the best performance of his career. He excels at everything from the swagger of his walk to the small quirks he has. By this point in his life Jesse James was paranoid and suffering from several physical illnesses, probably more than a few mental illnesses as well, and Pitt makes you believe it. The way he can look so cool and calm one minute but fly into a violent rage the next keeps the tension almost unbearable for many parts of the film, especially towards the end when Bob really begins to resent him.

Not to be outdone, Casey Affleck gives the performance of his career as Robert Ford. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for this role and I believe he deserved it. His Bob Ford isn't an evil or malicious coward, he's just a naïve young man who doesn't understand the consequences of his actions. He's a weird but likeable guy who is really shy and a little clumsy but he has a real drive and ambition in him that most people will relate to I think. We sympathize when his older brother and friend pick on him in a scene where some light teasing at his expense really frustrates him and we see just how serious he is about his passion. He's a very sympathetic character and at no point did I ever feel like I despised him. When he was happy, so was I. When he was sad he made me feel that way too. When he finally pulls the trigger and kills Jesse (I mean, it is in the title of the film after all) you understand why he did it. It was an absolute powerhouse of a performance and at times I feel like it eclipses even Pitt's tremendous acting ability.

The rest of the cast is also fantastic, I particularly found Sam Rockwell who plays Bob's older brother Charley to be very good. He gives a very believable performance that really makes you feel for the guy. Jeremy Renner also has a small part, back before he became Hawkeye in the Marvel movies or joined Casey's older brother Ben in The Town. He doesn't get much screen time but he gives a likeable enough performance as Jesse's cousin Wood Hite. Paul Schneider plays Dick Liddl who is a very eloquent troublemaker and his interactions with Wood and his scene at the beginning were pretty funny, another small role but another good performance.

Another outstanding element of this film is Roger Deakins' fantastic cinematography. Some of the shots in this film are jaw-dropping in how beautiful they are. He apparently created some of his own camera lenses for this film specifically and it is used to great effect. Some of the shots give an almost dream-like feeling that compared with the narration almost seems to imply it from a thematic point of view. Everything is so smooth and looks so effortless it is a treat for the eyes the entire way through. I also like how there is so much rich color throughout the film but the last fifteen minutes or so, arguably my favorite part, seems almost washed out by comparison. This was intentional and it's very powerful, wringing every last drop of emotion from the audience.

Another great piece of this film is the music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. While not my favorite soundtrack by far it is still very effective and when combined with the other elements I've discussed it creates the perfect tone and atmosphere and goes a long way to endear the film to me. There is so much emotion packed into the music, specifically my favorite song off the track: "Song for Bob". It's great stuff and there's a smart cameo from Nick Cave right at the end of the movie that I really liked.

Now as much as I love this film I can't ignore some issues I have with it. For one, the film is almost three hours long. I don't have a problem with the length itself but it is a big time investment. Along with the long runtime it does feel like it drags a bit in places. A few scenes that Jesse has alone with some of the members of his gang feel a bit unnecessary, though don't get me wrong they're still good and they serve as character development for him. There is also some time that is spent with Wood and Dick that is important to the overall story, specifically for Bob, but if it were cut out the movie might be about ten to fifteen minutes shorter and isn't strictly speaking necessary.

Another problem I had was trying to keep track of the characters. For some of the men we're introduced to we only get a scene or two with them before they leave the movie for a bit and then they return for a few scenes and I wasn't sure who they were when they returned. This could be my own fault but it is a problem I encountered so I thought it best to mention it. Another complaint, I don't really count this as a problem, is Zooey Deschanel's character Dorothy Evans gets a single scene and they don't explain what happened to her after it. Again this is a complaint because it's something I would have liked to know but it wasn't necessary to the story, I just liked her character and wanted to see more of her.

I hope that I was able to convince you that if you haven't seen this amazing film you absolutely should. I was hooked from start to finish and I could easily sit down and watch it a third time. It's a great movie though if you have problems with longer movies this might not be the best one for you. If you're okay with a longer film with a few pacing issues I can easily recommend it, it's an absolute must-see.

Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2gY_e1ZKD8