The Assignation of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford is a film which I had been meaning to see for quite some time as it stars Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt plays the part of Jesse James.
The film is set in the 1880's in America where Jesse James and his brothers are wanted in over 10 different ... Read review
Everyone in 1880s America knows Jesse James. He's the nation's most notorious criminal, ... more
hunted by the law in 10 states. He's also the land's greatest hero, lauded as a Robin Hood by the public. Robert Ford, meanwhile, is a nobody. That, however, isn't something the ambitious 19-year-old will settle for. He'll befriend Jesse, join his gang and gain his confidence, and eventually become his downfall.Friendship turns to rivalry and the quest for fame becomes obsession in this gripping epic produced by Ridley Scott, examining the last days of America's most famous outlaw, and featuring outstanding performances by Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck.
Production Year: 1955 - Westerns - Director: Burt Lancaster - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Burt Lancaster, Diana Lynn, Walter Matthau, John Carradine, John McIntire, Una Merkel, Dianne Foster
Advantages: Brad Pitt, good story Disadvantages: Very long and slightly boring middle hour
The Assignation of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford is a film which I had been meaning to see for quite some time as it stars Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt plays the part of Jesse James.
The film is set in the 1880's in America where Jesse James and his brothers are wanted in over 10 different states by the law for all of their crimes and thefts. Jesse is a married man and has 2 children. His family do not know what he does for a living ... ...Jesse, his elder brother and the gang in the woods who are planning to rob the money train, the theft is successful and then the brothers decided to go their separate ways as the elder one does not want to live this life anymore.
Robert Ford is a great fan of Jesse and manages to get close to him, Jesse is very wary of him but decides he can help him. Jesse continues to do 'jobs' with certain members of the gang. We soon find out ... more
The Assignation of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford is a film which I had been meaning to see for quite some time as it stars Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt plays the part of Jesse James.
The film is set in the 1880's in America where Jesse James and his brothers are wanted in over 10 different states by the law for all of their crimes and thefts. Jesse is a married man and has 2 children. His family do not know what he does for a living all they know is that it involves them moving from town to town very often.
We meet Jesse, his elder brother and the gang in the woods who are planning to rob the money train, the theft is successful and then the brothers decided to go their separate ways as the elder one does not want to live this life anymore.
Robert Ford is a great fan of Jesse and manages to get close to him, Jesse is very wary of him but decides he can help him. Jesse continues to do 'jobs' with certain members of the gang. We soon find out that a lot of rumours are being started about gang members apparently going to tell the law where Jesse is so they can claim the reward so Jesse goes to see each of the member individually and lets just say he sorts them out!
Throughout the film Robert Ford is still quite close to Jesse and he is still obsessed with him so when Jesse comes and asks him and his brother to go on a ride with them he is quite pleased but also scared as he believes that Jesse is going to kill them.
Will Robert be killed by Jesse or will Jessie be able to evade the law and continue his thieving ways?
I think that last paragraph may be a bit pointless as we can all guess the outcome of the film from its title!
The film was extremely good and I thought Brad Pitt played the part of Jesse very well and was very convincing as a cowboy. He has the good but rugged looks down to perfection and the way he seemed so comfortable on his horse made the part so much more realistic. Casey Afleck who played the part of Robert Ford was also extremely good. I enjoyed the way he brought his character to the screen and throughout the film he always had a very nervous and shifty look which gave his character a bit more depth and mystery.
I loved the setting and the scenery throughout the film. This was all extremely well done and it all looked authentic to the 1880's. Some of the views we got to see when the men were out on their horses was really breathtaking, I especially enjoyed the views of the mountains.
The story was very good and I thought that it was all very believable as I did not know much about Jesse James before watching the film, obviously I had heard about him but nothing much more.
The film does have a running time of 153 minutes which both me and my hubby felt was way too long, we both agree that the middle hour could quite easily have been shortened and condensed down to about 15-20 minutes. We did find the middle section was slightly boring and we were willing the film to move on.
The DVD which I have does not have any bonus material.
The film was Produced by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Ridley Scott, Jules Daly and David Valdes. It was Directed by Andrew Dominik. I paid just under £5 from Amazon for my copy.
I do recommend this film to all, especially fans of Brad Pitt but just be prepared for a quite boring middle part.
sewbizzie 03.02.2009 (03.02.2009)
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Review of The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (DVD)
Advantages: Great performances, pathos Disadvantages: Overlong and indulgent
...ShaunMunro.co.uk, and Dooyoo, thanks!
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, aside from being a mouthful, is one of the stranger pictures of the year, spinning an “art house” twist on the tale of Jesse James, and his assassination by the "coward" Robert Ford. Whilst there was little doubt that Brad Pitt would make the role of Jesse James his own, the film marks a breakthrough role for Casey Affleck, who received much acclaim, ... ...Affleck to come crashing through the glass ceiling. In pictures such as this, and as the recent Gone Baby Gone, Affleck has cemented himself as an actor to watch for years to come.
The film quickly establishes itself as a meditative, contemplative piece. Many a time Dominik will linger on glass-eyed shots of our protagonist, or focus on him standing in a lush environment. Such moments are entirely visually arresting, yet there are times early in ...
asdasta632 17.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (DVD)
Just saw the film at the cinema and its an elegiac epic rumination on the nature of fame and notoriety.
Jesse James is a man who has outlived his time. The legend has been created and he and his brother are like ghosts who haunt their own lives, unsure of what to do now. The young Robert Ford is first captivated by Jesse whom he has idolised all of his life. There are definite echoes of Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Jesus in Jesse's demeanour. ... ...and at the moment it happens, he seems to will it, so tired is he of life.
The depiction of the killing is chilling in that it shows how fear can paralyse.
After the event, its as if Robert has finally become Jesse, for he too is stuck in the moment of his brief fame.
The acting is superb from Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck. There is a great piano driven score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis and the cinematography is reminiscent of Terence Malick: ...
adder1 18.12.2007
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Advantages: Great photography, scenery, Brad Pitt!!!! Disadvantages: A bit long
The Assassination of JesseJamesby the CowardRobertFord
My husband and I just bought this DVD at the weekend from HMV. It was £10.99. They did have a two disc DVD with Special/Bonus features which was £14.99 but we decided to go with the cheaper one.
I had been wanting to see this movie ever since it came out in the cinema. That may have something to do with the fact that Brad Pitt plays the title character, JesseJames. If you are a Brad fan then this movie is a must for you. He pretty much features in just about every scene and in my opinion is one of his best performances. He does look quite old and tired in this movie but I think that is just the nature of the character. He portrays JesseJames perfectly. He does make you question whether in the end Jesse was actually sorry for all the crimes he had committed and struggling ...
Advantages: Great Acting and directing Disadvantages: Very long, Not watchable enough to buy
The film follows the last days of JesseJames' life from the day he first meets his assassinRobertFord till his death.
Casey Affleck plays RobertFord, an insecure 19-year-old young man who idolises JesseJames and gets a chance to first meet him by being brought along by his older brothers to do a job with the James brothers. James and his brother Frank do not show the same desire for fame and fortune as their posse. They are tired of their life, they want to live in peace but can't stay too long in one place in fear of being arrested. They decide on one last job to pay their final way.
Ford begins to grow very close to James, staying in his house after the robbery and truly worshipping him. James on the other hand is not happy with his life afterwards he seems unsettled and goes onto visit all the members of the old gang ...
There have been a spat of westerns over the last few years, with the excellent 3 10 to Yuma leading the way, but here it's Brad Pitt's turn to try his hand at the wild west.
RobertFord, a longtime fan of the cowboy JesseJames, wants nothing more than to join his hero and his gang, but when he gets there things aren't quite as rosy as he had hoped.
Rumour has it Brad Pitt only agreed to take the film as long as it kept its title, and that makes one of the oddest film titles I think I've ever seen!
This is an excellent Western, full of the conventions of the genre: horses, cowboy hats, saloons and steam trains all fill this epic movie. And epic it is, at 160 minutes it goes beyond your casual film and gets into something quite different.
The plot is interesting if not a tad predictable, but the characters are so well ...
Based on the 1983 novel by Ron Hansen, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD captivatingly depicts the final few months of the legendary Jesse James's life. He was 34, and his days of ruthless robbing had dwindled, yet his fearsome reputation continued to swell. With an abundance of nickel-books retelling his brutal gun-slinging adventures, James had become a symbolic hero for many Americans, and a dazzling tabloid icon for the 19th-century media. A particular young man seduced by the wonderment of James, the shifty Robert Ford, wormed his way in as a James groupie, in the hopes of snagging a coveted spot alongside his brother Charley as one of the bandit's cronies. Ford, fiercely insecure and painfully aware that he would never be taken seriously by James (who, ever-plagued by paranoia and scepticism, found Ford’s earnest obsession a bit unsettling), grew increasingly angry with his idol, leading to a destructive path that ultimately ended in the anticlimactic death of Jesse James--and brought the treacherous Robert Ford the notoriety he had always wanted.
Release details
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DVD
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WARNER HOME VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS
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Main Language
English
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Special Features
Interactive menu
Sound
Dolby Digital
Professional reviews
Review
A haunting retelling of one of the enduring outlaw sagas in American culture (Entertainment Weekly, 19/10/2007)
Dominik paints a richly detailed mosaic on locations in Calgary and Winnipeg, and you can only marvel at the visual miracles achieved by cinematographer Roger Deakins (Rolling Stone, 19/10/2007)
DVD Description
Based on the 1983 novel by Ron Hansen, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD captivatingly depicts the final few months of the legendary Jesse James's life. He was 34, and his days of ruthless robbing had dwindled, yet his fearsome reputation continued to swell. With an abundance of nickel-books retelling his brutal gun-slinging adventures, James (portrayed by Brad Pitt, in one his most convincing and moving roles) had become a symbolic hero for many Americans, and a dazzling tabloid icon for the 19th-century media. A particular young man seduced by the wonderment of James, the shifty Robert Ford (a breakthrough performance by Casey Affleck), wormed his way in as a James groupie, in the hopes of snagging a coveted spot alongside his brother Charley (played by the always affable Sam Rockwell) as one of the bandit's cronies. Ford, fiercely insecure and painfully aware that he would never be taken seriously by James (who, ever-plagued by paranoia and scepticism, found Ford's earnest obsession a bit unsettling), grew increasingly angry with his idol, leading to a destructive path that ultimately ended in the anticlimactic death of Jesse James--and brought the treacherous Robert Ford the notoriety he had always wanted.
Although this film takes place in the late 1800's, its eerie relevance to modern-day celebrity-obsession scandals is astounding, and adds a fresh scope to what could be viewed as just another cinematic western. Director Andrew Dominick (CHOPPER) furthers the film from its genre by banishing cliched bullet-infested showdown scenes, instead embracing the relationships and interactions of the outlaws, and creates a mood of brooding and contemplation with exceptional camera angles and lighting. His intensely sophisticated approach to filmmaking illustrates the darkest corners of the characters, and insightfully provides a deeper, heartfelt portrayal revealing what the men might have been like behind their masks.
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