DVD Review: The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

If I was only allowed one word to describe Andrew Dominik’s film, I think that I would have to go for beautiful. Every moment is perfectly framed, the acting sublime, the score suitably melancholic. Beautiful is definitely the word to use. Of course, there are many more words that could be used such as thoughtful, intelligent, elegant, captivating and so on, but ‘beauty’ is key here.

Firstly there is Jesse James himself. Brad Pitt once again riffs on his own personae (see Fight Club and Troy) to provide us with a magnetic celebrity figure. Like Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid, The Assassination… is a film that looks at an era when the outlaw became a star. In this respect Pitt’s Jesse is the same as Kris Kristofeson’s Billy, but this time the outlaw has lived long enough to grow weary of his status. If Billy was Jim Morrison then Jesse escapes such recognition because the other giants died or grew old gracefully. Jesse is shown as tired and almost broken by his life whilst only the hangers-on gain any real benefit as they jostle for his approval and remain drawn to him.

One such moth is Robert Ford (played magnificently by Casey Affleck) here depicted as probably the most uncomfortable person you could ever have the misfortune to spend time with. Drawn by Jesse’s allure, it is Ford’s dealings with his idol and co-opting of his fame that forms the core of the film and, by extension, it is our own unhealthy obsessions with ‘Brad and Jen’ and ‘Brangelina’ that are under the microscope.

The Assassination… is also a ridiculously good looking film. Shot by cinematographer Roger Deakins, it instantly recalls the work of the great American photographers such as Ansel Adams whilst director Dominik (Chopper) ensures that the film is invested with enough of an off-kilter sensibility to allow for some truly unique moments.

…as I said earlier this is a beautiful film.

10/10

cast & crew info

trailer