2007 Directed by Andrew Dominik
Outlaw Jesse James is rumored to be the 'fastest gun in the West'. An eager recruit into James' notorious gang, Robert Ford eventually grows jealous of the famed outlaw and, when Robert and his brother sense an opportunity to kill James, their murderous action elevates their target to near mythical status.
Plan B Entertainment Virtual Studios Scott Free Productions Alberta Film Entertainment Jesse Films Inc. Warner Bros. Pictures
This is my first viewing since the film’s original release back in 2007 and I feel incredibly foolish for not having re-watched it sooner.
Quite simply The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a work of staggering brilliance and arguably the finest Western of the last twenty years. It is a film that exists on the border of two worlds - on one side it mythologizes the transitionary period of American history via the fable-building narration and dreamy photography, and on the other it slowly and methodically demystifies the characters that populate it and the falsehood of celebrity. It is this contradiction that is perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the film and mirrors the inner-conflict…
Dominik's best film.
Pitt's best performance.
Deakins' best work.
Affleck's perfect performance. That is not an exaggeration. Perfection is the only word for what he achieves here.
Made me forget, again, that I really don't like the western genre.
Legend was he could stop a train by staring it down.
The villain dies a villain's death, the coward, however, goes out alone. These golden wheat fields that never fail to make me somewhat religious reminds me of Malick's Days of Heaven, upped to a whole new level with the addition of Roger Deakins, being a ~ godsend ~ as always, stops at nothing to craft heart-stopping sequences like the opening train robbery. (Train emerging from darkness, light illuminating masked figures in the woods, Deakin's spell casted on every frame.) Brad Pitt is as menacing as Daniel Plainview, his presence is a continuous jump scare, adjusts his mask like a true fashion model, every close up of him is an ad for Prada or some other capitalist bullshit, I swear, even the wind dares not blow his direction. Just brilliant filmmaking, acting, storytelling.
I've had this DVD sitting on my shelf for the better part of a year now, and for some reason I just never got around to watching this film at all. I thought it would be good, but I didn't expect it to completely blow me away. Everyone is just fantastic in this. Casey Affleck was born to play Robert Ford. Brad Pitt reaches for his inner Tyler Durden in this skin crawling portrayal of the infamous outlaw. The narration is fantastic. The music is spot on. The cinematography is haunting. Just, every little detail about this film felt absolutely perfect to me, I quickly fell in love with it, and I believe it to be one of the greatest…
Robert Ford was fascinated and inspired by Jesse James, a man who can stop a train by staring it down. Legends and myths were told of him, adventures of him were published. Looking at him for the first time live Robert Ford either wanted to be Jesse James or replace him.
Set in 1881 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a story of two characters, one a bigger than life bad guy, an outlaw and the other fascinated by him.
When you look at Jesse James he was the person who you should be afraid of, never let him behind you. When you hear him walk in, you better be shaking. But as time went…
Film #7 of Florin's Recommendations
Part of My Top 10 Films of 2007
”…Rooms seemed hotter when he was in them. Rains fell straighter. Clocks slowed. Sounds were amplified…”
Okay, we know what’s going to happen, we know that a coward and weak character, named Robert Ford is going to kill the famous wild west outlaw Jesse James, we know who is who before even watching the film, Andrew Dominik’s audacious masterpiece has nothing to surprise, we know that there’s not going to be a twist, there’s not going to be a WTF moment, everything that we’re going to see is compressed in the title, that’s all.
So this film is not going to be about what’s going to happen…
When someone says to me that they do not make good westerns anymore, I show them this movie. That is ture that they don't make them like in the old times, the western genre has transformed, evolved and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is a perfect example of that. Beautifully narrated and masterfully crafted, this is a masterpiece of modern cinema.
PS: I have to mention this – music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is one of the best soundtracks of the XXI century, if not all-time.
The only movie where narration has truly ever worked.
“He was ashamed of his persiflage, his boasting, his pretensions of courage and ruthlessness; he was sorry about his cold-bloodedness, his dispassion, his inability to express what he now believed was the case- that he truly regretted killing Jesse, that he missed the man as much as anybody and wished his murder hadn't been necessary. Even as he circulated his saloon he knew that the smiles disappeared when he passed by. He received so many menacing letters that he could read them without any reaction except curiosity. He kept to his apartment all day, flipping over playing cards, looking at his destiny in every King and Jack. Edward O'Kelly came up…
By the time the famous train robbery scene occurs on screen, it’s not hard to realize that this film is not one of the most beautiful looking westerns, it’s one of the greatest looking films ever made. The famed Roger Deakins declares his work in this film as some of his personal favorite and you can easily see why. It is one of those films where every frame truly is a painting. But more importantly, the cinematography never distracts from the complexity of its characters. Brad Pitt is incredible and engaging as the legendary outlaw, but Casey Affleck should not be overlooked. The character of Robert Ford begins as a man with boyish mannerisms and a childlike adoration for Jesse…
It's only fitting that I had only seen The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford once, many moons ago, long enough for it to fade in my memory. Andrew Dominik's revisionist western liberally plays with the idea of myth, its infallibility, and its ultimate permanence over the realities of struggle that somehow fall short of sticking to the characters of history. Everyone involved in this is at the peak of their powers, making the film now its own time capsule of talent in a particular moment.
It's downright wild that the fifth or sixth best movie of 2007 still leaves its mark as an incredible masterpiece. Would make a great double feature with the wonky Bob Dylan "biopic" I'm Not There.
All of Dominik's films are phenomenal. Some of Pitt's, Affleck's. and Rockwell's best work as well. One of the best westerns of the modern era for sure.
The only flaw of a film like The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is the often childish theatricality. Yet the myth is all we have printed, rendering such an adaptation as a monumental triumph.
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