The film follows the last days of Jesse James' life from the day he first meets his assassin Robert Ford till his death.
Casey Affleck plays Robert Ford, an insecure 19-year-old young man who idolises Jesse James and gets a chance to first meet him by being brought along by his older brothers ... 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.
Westerns - Director: Sergio Leone, Henry King, John Wayne - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Frankie Avalon, Clint Eastwood, Millard Mitchell, Lee Van Cleef, Patrick Wayne, Gregory Peck, Eli Wallach
Advantages: Great Acting and directing Disadvantages: Very long, Not watchable enough to buy
The film follows the last days of Jesse James' life from the day he first meets his assassin Robert Ford till his death.
Casey Affleck plays Robert Ford, an insecure 19-year-old young man who idolises Jesse James 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 ... ...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. Terrorising some of them and killing some of them. He is becoming extremely paranoid believing that he cannot be at peace whilst these people are alive. Ford grows to fear James, he is disillusioned with the actual man compared to the myth. James is ... more
The film follows the last days of Jesse James' life from the day he first meets his assassin Robert Ford till his death.
Casey Affleck plays Robert Ford, an insecure 19-year-old young man who idolises Jesse James 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. Terrorising some of them and killing some of them. He is becoming extremely paranoid believing that he cannot be at peace whilst these people are alive. Ford grows to fear James, he is disillusioned with the actual man compared to the myth. James is not everything he read about, he is violent and cold. He is torn between love, fear and hatred of the man. He eventually decides to collaborate with the police and bring about James' demise. (That's hardly a plot spoiler as the title says it all)
Casey Affleck's performance is amazing; he conveys the myriad of conflicting emotions his character is feeling fantastically. His love for James seems so sincere and on the verge of homosexuality and his disappointment is so heartfelt you sympathise with him. The assassination scene is so well performed, they can barely bring themselves to the act, and the inner turmoil is portrayed beautifully in the film. The betrayal rips Ford apart and Affleck has received and been nominated for various awards for Best Supporting Actor. However, this surprises me, as although Jesse James is the title character I thought the film revolved a lot more around Robert Ford than it did Jesse James. Affleck definitely getting more screen time.
Pitt too manages an amazing performance, he depicts James' tired, drained attitude; his growing paranoia and his sense of betrayal and disappointment superbly. He seems to know that Ford is going to betray him but much like a Jesus figure he gives himself up to it not being able to bear turning on Ford. Pitt truly is a very versatile actor despite some of the crap films he chooses to be in and this one does him well. Jesse James' descendants praised him for his performance.
The two of them put up stunning performances you both disliked and liked their characters such was the realism.
The cinematography is masterful, within the first ten minutes of the film you will see the amazing scene just before they rob the train. The train slows as it approaches the blockade and lights flash past the trees momentarily illuminating the masked figures waiting as a silhouette of James stands with his back to the camera, on the steamy track. The musical score is also immaculate. In this particular scene there was a cello-violin duet that was harrowing, dark and melancholy. It is used throughout the film and really develops the mood. The film is obviously based on a novel, this is not only apparent from the narrative voice we occasionally hear but from the directing.(It is in fact based on a novel of the same title by Ron Hansen) Andrew Dominik, the director, focuses on the landscape allowing it to provide the ideal atmosphere and sometimes even wonders around the setting when characters are talking. There are several beautiful but grim western landscapes that all seem taken from a novel and I think Dominik has done a great job and I was surprised to see this is only the second film he has directed the first being "Chopper".
I really enjoyed this film; I wanted to watch it again the day afterward. I'm a big western fan and that's why I bought this film but this isn't a western in the gun-slinging Clint Eastwood sense. This is a drama about the relationship between these two men and how events unfolded because of the deteriation of Ford's delusion.
There were no DVD extras and I should point out that the DVD I bought had a cover that looked nothing like the one that Ciao has. Maybe there are various DVD covers out there. There were no DVD extras and the DVD cost me £10.97 in Tesco and I believe it to have been well worth the money.
It is certificate 15 in the UK, due to some strong and lurid language and violent scenes.
Ridley Scott also produced the film. Sam Rockwell (who is perhaps most famous for playing Wild Bill in The Green Mile) is also in the film as Robert Ford's brother Charlie. He plays his usual persona for most of the film but he out done anything he's ever done before in the assassination scene and the ensuing stage plays in the film.
Also just as a warning this film lasts 2hrs 40 minutes
Watching this film again many months later it doesn't have the same appeal. All the above is still true but the film lacks "watchability". You get everything you're going to get out of it that first time. The second time I started to feel that it is a bit slow and it drags too much in places and in consquence despite being a very good film I would not recommend you buy this film. It is worth watching but not a very good DVD to have as you can't really watch it again and again and I have decided to get rid of my copy
Phelthew 05.04.2008 (29.12.2008)
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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 performances, pathos Disadvantages: Overlong and indulgent
note: also appears on my film review website, ShaunMunro.co.uk, and Dooyoo, thanks!
The Assassination of JesseJamesby the CowardRobertFord, aside from being a mouthful, is one of the stranger pictures of the year, spinning an ?art house? twist on the tale of JesseJames, and his assassinationby the "coward" RobertFord.
Whilst there was little doubt that Brad Pitt would make the role of JesseJames his own, the film marks a breakthrough role for Casey Affleck, who received much acclaim, as well as an Academy Award nomination for his turn as RobertFord. Andrew Dominik?s film by no means passes with flying colours, yet its greatest success is in allowing 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 ...
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.
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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
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
WARNER HOME VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Languages
Main Language
English
Subtitle Language
Icelandic, Hebrew, English, Arabic
Hearing Impaired Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Limited collector's edition, 'Death Of An Outlaw' documentary, 44-page book
Aspect Ratio
2.40 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Professional reviews
Review
A haunting retelling of one of the enduring outlaw sagas in American culture (Entertainment Weekly, 12/02/2008)
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, 12/02/2008)
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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