There’s a lot of depth to this film. It doesn’t always unfold smoothly; in Frank James’ first appearance, it took me a little time to realize who he was (I thought he was a Pinkerton agent that Ford was informing to), and some of the time and place jumps are hard to follow. But the essential scenes with Jesse and Robert are always compelling. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to buy Casey Affleck as the character he’s played in the three Oceans movies again; after seeing him in this and Gone Baby Gone, it’s clear that he’s an outstanding actor whose baby-faced appearance can be very deceptive.
There are no special features (likely a reflection of the box office performance). Language options are English, French or Spanish Dolby Surround 5.1.
Watching The Assassination of Jesse James, I was thinking how well it might pair with American Outlaws, the 2001 telling of the start of the James Gang. The latter’s all self-righteous, how the James boys and their cousins were more or less forced into a life of crime, how they tried to avoid violence when they could, and even earned the liking, if not the respect, of Allan Pinkerton. Colin Farrell played Jesse in that film, and you don’t have to squint too much to imagine his Jesse evolving into Pitt’s. A few more years, and the stress of being constantly on the run, create a man who’s fraying around the edges. And, it’s also easy to imagine the boy Robert Ford idolizing the Jesse of American Outlaws. In that light, The Assassination of Jesse James shows all too clearly that crime truly doesn’t pay, at least not in the long run, and that some heroes are better left up on their pedestals than viewed too closely in the harsh light of day. You can’t really like Robert Ford, but you can somewhat understand him, and ultimately pity him.
If you like character studies and exploring the human psyche, and if you’ve got close to three hours to invest in watching it, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is worth your time.
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