REVIEW: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford [2007]

Rating: R | Runtime: 160 minutes
Release Date: September 21st, 2007 (USA)
Studio: Warner Bros.
Director(s): Andrew Dominik
Writer(s): Andrew Dominik / Ron Hansen (novel)

Recapitulating the act of betrayal.

The man. The myth. The legend. And … the movie title. In what could be my favorite film name of all-time, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is much more than its superfluous moniker. From its bloated runtime to its methodical pacing, Andrew Dominik’s epic tale contains an inner beauty that allows for all the pretentiousness some seem to associate with it. Dominik is unrelenting on his quest to tell the story the way he wants it told, never compromising by cutting scenes or shortening titles to fit on theater marquees.

The film even seems to have languished in the doldrums for over a year before finally seeing the light of day. Was the time spent because no one would distribute it without changes? If so, I’m glad to have waited for the result. I don’t think I would have enjoyed my time nearly as much had anything been compromised. So, don’t expect a wild west gun fight at every corner. This is not a tale of excess or young guns. It’s instead one about paranoia, suspicion, friendship, and betrayal from all sides.

I knew little about who Jesse James was before watching. Coming in I thought I would see him during his heyday of robbery and murder before eventually meeting his demise at the hands of a crew member. We’re instead introduced to the legend just before his final night ride with brother Frank. He went into the job with thoughts of retiring back home with his wife and kids. And that’s when he meets the Ford brothers and their ragtag degenerate friends.

James is no longer as God-like as he might have been. A shell of his former self, he is constantly uprooting his family—children who don’t even know his real name—in fear of being captured by the Pinkertons. Always paranoid and untrusting of those around him now that his brother retired and his normal crew is gone, jailed, or dead, James begins fearing for his safety.

By riding to cleanse himself of those possibly conspiring against him, he begins a journey that will take him back into the friendship of Robert and Charlie Ford. Whether from depression caused by the memories of all he has done or an escalation of the malice and crazed disposition that allowed him to do it, this reunion for a series of planned bank robberies finally leads to his demise.

Dominik’s film is filled to the brim with nuance and subtlety. At every turn we are given quiet moments of the landscape and metered prose that’s contemplated and released into conversation. Everything is orchestrated with great care and each frame a thing of beauty. The film must have been storyboarded like crazy because the compositions are balanced and gorgeous to behold. From the extreme close-ups, smoke-laden atmosphere, and visions from behind period-specific impure glass, Dominik has taken painstaking care in making sure every second is perfect.

Even the narrated moments talking about James’ past are vignetted and blurred to give a sense of age and dream-state. The time on display was one of little technology and a lack of quick paced elements. A gunshot to the head still left a man breathing while the bullet lodged itself in. A gunfight at close range took ten shots of more before a direct hit. And one could see the approach of both friend and foe from a long distance as they rode up on horseback. Everything is deliberately timed to both enhance the period and add to the moods and mental dispositions as the wheels turn inside each character’s head.

The acting is top-notch too. Brad Pitt really shows how good he is as the man behind the stories. This is a time of instability for James as his state of mind causes uncontrollable outbursts of violence followed by fits of laughter towards his lapse in control. He realizes that he’s not himself anymore and it’s this knowledge of his own fallibility that makes him even more cautious of what’s happening around him.

Pitt is very possibly at his best and yet still overshadowed by costar Casey Affleck’s Robert Ford. Sure the supporting roles are all fantastic (Sam Rockwell his usual self yet also subtle in the machinations behind his infectious smile, Garret Dillahunt great outside of a David Milch production, and Jeremy Renner and Paul Schneider both portraying members of this dysfunctional crew), but Affleck truly shines as the young kid riding alongside his idol only to be mocked as “strange” and “queer.” His openly expressed joy towards his hero comes at a very bad time. Just as James starts looking at everyone more carefully, in comes this kid with a dangerous obsession. As he says before sending Ford away, “I can’t tell if you want to be like me or be me.”

Affleck’s performance is one of the year’s best. The times when he must try and hide the rage bottled up inside while his dreams of being the James Brothers’ sidekick shatter are tough to watch. From this angle, Ford was less a coward than a man tired of being kicked while he was down. Perhaps the act of murder itself was cowardly, but only because of the circumstances surrounding it. Ford was working for the sheriff in order to capture a criminal. But when the opportunity presents itself, you can’t help feeling sorry for this twenty-year-old wrestling with what is about to transpire.

I applaud Dominik for having the courage to create something that’s not a bankable commodity. For every person that goes to see Brad Pitt’s new movie, there will be at least three that scoff at its almost three-hour duration and glacial pace. Regardless, the film is a masterpiece to behold. A true work of art that encapsulates a moment of history. Even the epilogue depicting what happens to Ford after the assassination helps shape the motivations for everything that transpired beforehand. It never feels boring and never shies from the weight carried on its shoulders. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is simply something that needs to be seen to understand its effect and that experience should be in a theater so its composition and visual splendor can be viewed in all its glory.

And for all you Zooey Deschanel fans who want to see the film because her name is on every internet site as being in it … don’t. She’s in the movie less than Nick Cave and proves far less necessary. I love how people can be billed to sell a film despite having absolutely no bearing on it. No disrespect to her. I am a fan.