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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford |
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Western Art -  |
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Review |
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Westerns are constantly being reinvented. Sometimes just adequately. But sometimes, as in the case of this film, they set the bar for a whole new level of enjoyment within the genre. And ironically, (much like a Sergio Leone film) it's being done by a Director who's not even American! You'd think that we Americans would know best how to make movies about our own history, as well as within a genre that all but defined early American cinema, but Dominik (Director of the Australian classic "Chopper") aced this one. He's captured the flavor and feel of the Reconstruction Era (as best we can understand it today).
The whole film is a Western-noir of epic proportions. A Greek Tragedy that slices open and lays bare the reality of notoriety, gained at the cost of crime...the notion of romanticizing the Old West has never been so thoroughly destroyed, as in this film. No one is a winner in this movie. And for my money, THAT is what makes it so great. That disconnect that you often feel with the times when watching other westerns isn't present in this film. The characters are so genuine, so real, and the attention to historic detail in every facet of the movie is so meticulous, that you get a sense of not being just a mere spectator, but of actually being a silent, awe-struck participant, standing just barely and always at arms length, wishing you could reach in and halt the tragedy that is unfolding in front of you. The film's BEAUTIFUL cinematography and musical score also help to gel moments of extreme, gut-wrenching emotion...like the build-up to the scene where Jesse gets killed, for example, which is so poetically rendered. At the moment Jesse says; "Don't that picture look dusty?", the score comes in, and this point in time is set in a mournful, heart-stopping way. Bob & Charley (Affleck and Rockwell) are so limp with fear, love, shame, remorse, etc., it's almost beautifully unbearable to even watch. For anyone who knows their history and what's about to happen, you feel as if you'd give anything in the world to somehow turn back the clock at this critical juncture in our nation's past. To somehow right the apparent wrong. Casey Affleck is AMAZING as a squirrelly, mincing villain...he's really the ultimate stalker! Yet, by the end of the film, you can so thoroughly feel his own pain over what he's done, that you don't know whether to embrace him, or loathe him. His character was not an easy one to portray. Bob Ford made the history books, but not in the dire way he so longed to be remembered. Ultimately, he realized that. But it was more than just too late to redeem himself. He would be immortalized forever in the less than flattering die which he alone had cast himself in. It's a long film, as some people have complained about. But for American history buffs...and for pure film buffs who enjoy movies that are more art than prepackaged, predictable Hollywood westerns...this film will adorn your library, much the way an original Russel painting might hang with prominence over your fireplace. If you love the genre and you want to be transported back in time, then by all senses, the film actually seems to end too soon! ;-) |
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Movie: 4/5 Picture Quality: 3.5/5 Sound Quality: 3/5 Extras: 0.5/5 -  |
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Review |
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Version: U.S.A / Region A, B, C
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1 VC-1 BD-25 Average video bit rate: 15.70 Mbps Running time: 2:39:40 Movie size: 22,41 GB Disc size: 23,94 GB DD AC3 5.1 640Kbps English / French / Spanish Subtitles: English / French / Spanish #Documentary - The Assassination of Jesse James: Death of an Outlaw (SD - 32 minutes) |
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You have to watch it twice... - |
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Review |
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I would like to say that I "hated" this movie or that it "was great." But neither is true. To get it, you must watch it twice. Because the movie works with underlayments of psychological interaction, you pick up much more the second time.
Don't be discouraged by the meandering beginning, which throws you into a cast of at-first-undistinguishable secondary characters. You know Brad Pitt is Jesse James and that Casey Affleck is Robert Ford, but the poor choice of throwing a bunch of other at-first anonymous men into the story early and randomly mars the beginning. (Plus, its nearly three-hour length demonstrates that the movie needed far better editing.) The portrayal of Jesse James as conflicted and Robert Ford as hero-worshipper is surely a fictional amplification, but nonetheless interesting. Casey Affleck is sheer brilliance as a fey, admiring, sometimes brave, curious fan of Jesse James. There is a sort of homoerotic attachment. His skills as an actor are fully flexed in this extraordinary role. Don't get too excited about Pitt, though. He's fine to look at and passes as an actor. Sam Shepherd and the others in the cast do a good-enough job--but not stunning. The cinematography truly deserves all its praise, as it's moving art on the screen. The exteriors of the train robbery alone were oddly beautiful and serene. This hardly qualifies as a "western" though it has the old-time look to it. Very little horse-riding, shoot-'em-up stuff. In fact, it almost aspires to be a differently-flavored "Brokeback Mountain." It's worth a look because it's such an unusual film. |
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Dull at a first glance amazing at a second - |
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Review |
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When I began to watch this film I for the most part agreed with the negative reviews on this site. It wasn't exciting, the dialog was simple, and most of all: it moved very, very slow.
The first thirty minutes were not enjoyable because I didn't know the characters, scenes seemed random, or pointless. But ultimately this film builds like a crescendo into a stirring masterpiece. 160 minutes, but as I look back, none were wasted. The characters are flawlessly developed, and I really can say that I haven't felt such a connection or understanding for the characters in a film like this in a long time. The level of understanding ultimately made this film extremely powerful. The acting and development were so good that the most powerful scenes hardly even needed dialog, and the music and cinematography were amazing. Just amazing. This is not a film for everyone. If you are expecting an action packed Western, completely revise your expectation now, and look at this as an epic and emotional masterpiece. Many people may be bored to sleep, and others simply might not get it, but I promise there is a genius and a power behind this that will be worth it for those few that understand it. |
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Great Storytelling - |
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Review |
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Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck give Oscar-worthy performances in this excellent piece of storytelling. I don't care too much about the real Jesse James (cold-blooded murderer, and certainly no hero), but I must say that Brad Pitt's portrayal of a conflicted bandit made me a little sympathetic. Casey Affleck's portrayal of the initially enamored, then calculating betrayer, was spot on.
I wonder why the director didn't include the fact that Charley and Bob Ford were initially charged with first degree murder, sentenced to hang, and then pardoned by the Missouri Governor. At 2.5 hours, I guess the director decided that the full story could not be told. Although I could have done without the 'squaw' jokes. TWO ENTHUSIASTIC THUMBS UP. |
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