Writer: Andrew Dominik, Ron Hansen
Director: Andrew Dominik
Cast: Brad Pitt, Mary Louise Parker, Sam Rockwell, Casey Affleck
Rating: R
Studio: Warner Bros
Release Date: February 5, 2008

Brad Pitt movies tend to gain a lot of press and interest long before they hit the DVD shelves. The days of Cutting Class are over for Brad. It’s obvious that he has become an invaluable asset to the Hollywood community. One of the best things about Brad, the movie star, is that he does not seem to compromise his talent for the Hollywood hype films. He manages to work on intelligent films that people truly want to see. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is one of those films.

People that are interested in Jesse James will love this movie. People that know nothing about him should find this equally as interesting. Going into this review, I knew little about Jesse, other than the standard outlaw information that everyone else seems to know. This made watching this movie somewhat of an eye opener. I was expecting more of a Western outlaw shoot ‘em up type of film, but what I received was something far more thought provoking and intelligent than that.

Release Information:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford has done more than its fair share of runs, traveling around the world. It first debuted at the Venice Film Festival on September 2, 2007. From there it traveled to film festivals in France and Canada before making a limited run in theaters a few weeks later, on September 21, 2007. The rest of the year was spent in such countries as Mexico, Israel, Belgium, the UK, Spain, Uruguay, Germany, Spain, and plenty of other countries. In 2008, countries that missed it the first time around, such as Greece, Hong Kong, Kuwait, and the Philippines will be graced with this interesting account of the Jesse James assassination.

Due to an extremely limited run at the theaters, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford only grossed around $4 million during its run. Despite that, critics have revered this fine film. In fact, many have gone on to add this film to their top ten best films of 2007 lists. Warner Bros is releasing, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford on DVD today, February 5, 2008. You can find this film at all major retailers, as well as Amazon where it is on sale for around $14.99.

The The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Plot
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford examines the final days of the life of Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and the gang that followed him throughout the years. The downfall seems to be helped along by the inclusion of Robert Ford (Casey Affleck). Ford has idolized James since he was a boy. He knows everything about him and has gone as far as learning odd facts to find ways to compare their lives.

When Ford gets a chance to ride with the James gang it does not take long for the tides to change. Ford realizes that the man he thought was a hero may be anything but. Meanwhile, Robert and his brother, Charley, (Sam Rockwell) are knee deep in the gang when Robert realizes that James must be stopped and he should be the man to do it.
Naturally, I am leaving out plenty of the story. By the title you are well aware of what happens. This is a story that deserves to be seen rather than read about. All of the entertwined moments should be discussed after the film, not before you have seen it.

Rather than delving further into the plot, I will say that the story is brought to life and made to shine by the fabulous performances of the actors. Brad Pitt is absolutely stunning as Jesse James. Playing off the excentricities of James, Pitt makes him appear manic, if not outright bi-polar. James is portrayed as a loving father in one instance and a cold blooded killer just moments later.

Casey Affleck is amazing as Robert Ford. He is everything you would expect from a coward and when you watch the emotional journey from hero worship to stalking, hit man, you cannot help but sit in awe. Casey Affleck transformed into Ford so well that it was hard to see the actor. It is easy to see that Affleck is going to have a long and distinguished career should he keep playing such intriguing roles.

Other members of the James gang, such as Sam Shepherd as Frank James and the amazing Sam Rockwell as Ford’s brother, Charley, offer excellent supporting performances. Rockwell is particularly strong as the swarmy, yet loyal friend and brother caught between a proverbial rock and a hard place. Even Mary Louise Parker, who is seen far more than she is heard, adds just the right womanly’ touch as Jesse’s wife, Zee.

Every small detail for The Assassination of Jesse James has been well thought out and delivers on even the tiniest level. The cinematography is stunning and the score, while not a major focus, only appearing in just the right spots, is chilling. It is rare to see a movie that is right on every level, but this is one of the few I’ve seen in a long time.

While not the traditional Western and certainly not something that I was expecting, The Assassination of Jesse James offers a wonderful film that will leave you in awe. The film provides a slow pace with an eventual buildup that starts from the first frame until the curtains have finally closed, as the climax has leveled off and ended at just the perfect time. The narration may be off-putting to some, though I found it to be one of my favorite parts of the film. The bits that were added with the narration really helped to move the story along and to segway into different periods in the story. In the end, this is easily one of the best films of the year.

Storyline/Plot:
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Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
The video quality for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is absolutely fabulous. The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The colors come in looking very natural, which is important for any film. The editors did a wonderful job with rendering the colors to appear more brown and gray than anything. This puts the colors on the darker side, but that really is the point. Even with the dark transfer the impeccable details shine through beautifully. It’s hard to imagine that WB could have done a nicer job with this.

The sound mix is Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Tracks are available in English, Spanish, and French. There are subtitles available for all languages and English listeners can also take advantage of Closed Captioning, should it be necessary. The audio quality comes through perfectly. There is never a problem understanding the dialogue and the music is not only beautiful, it works well with the story.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
Surprisingly enough, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford does not have very many special features. In fact, other than a few trailers and other basics, the DVD is empty when it comes to special additions of any kind. It would have been nice to hear some commentary or to enjoy some making of type featurettes, but these types of things have all been left out.

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Bottom Line:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is an excellent movie that deserves a far bigger following than the theatrical release allowed. If you are expecting a more traditional, shoot ‘em up Western, this version of Jesse James may leave you wanting more. Either way, this movie offers an excellent story, ingenious acting, and beautiful editing, video and sound quality.

In so many ways this is a movie that is as close to perfect as possible. It’s easy to see why this movie made so many critics’ top ten lists for the best movies of 2007. If you aren’t sure if an intelligent story about Jesse James will appeal to you then you should rent this. Anyone else should take the plunge and pick this one up.

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Technorati Tags: Jesse James, Robert Ford, Brad Pitt, Mary-Louise Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Action, Western, Bad Boys, Guns, DVD Review, Movie

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