...like the title, the film is a little too long.
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"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is a very long title, but won´t feel nearly as long after sitting through this 160 minute picture. Directed by Andrew Dominik, "The Assassination of Jesse James" is an epic picture that combines visual artistry with historical storytelling. The film is interesting and it is informative, but the long length of the picture is not helped by the simple fact that long stretches of "The Assassination of Jesse James" are just not entertaining. Watching this movie feels a lot like sitting through a history lesson at times and while I applaud the efforts in making the definitive film about the downfall of American outlaw Jesse James, I would have preferred a tighter picture that moved a little faster and trimmed some of the unnecessary exposition.
The long-titled picture took nearly two years to make it to theater screens after wrapping up its filming. Part of the problem was the studio´s dislike of Andrew Dominik´s initial tone to his storytelling. His edited version was over three hours long and similar to the films by Terrence Malick. If you´ve ever sat down and watched a Malick film, you know the auteur loves to include shots of nature and pushed aside pacing to focus on artistry. The studio wanted a little more action in their film and a number of versions of the film were pieced together with the help of Brad Pitt and Ridley Scott. Even their efforts tested poorly and the project was delayed from its original release in 2006 and didn´t see the light of day until September of 2007, when the picture saw a limited release.
I can understand the studio´s concerns, the reasoning for the delay and the decision to only give "The Assassination of Jesse James" a limited release. It is a beautifully shot picture and tells a detailed and informative story. This film works hard in giving a true insight into the mindset and multifaceted life of the legendary outlaw. The film shows the duality in character of Jesse James and how he was a family man who used alias such as Thomas and Dave around his family, but was a psychotic outlaw who killed without remorse and robbed trains and banks to make a living. The insecurity and paranoia that surrounded Jesse James is explained in a long and drawn out fashion. The studio wanted a little more action, but the majority of this long picture is spent focused on the mindset of both Jesse James and his killer Robert Ford.
There is some action and a few scenes that move along very nicely. The early train robbery scene is very nicely done and the only heist in the entire picture featuring Jesse James. A scene where Bob Ford kills one of James´ cousins is another nicely choreographed moment that features a little action. The final moments of Jesse James are gripping and would have served as a nice ending to the picture. I feel that one of the flaws of the film is its inability to show more heists by James and his gang. Granted, the picture is wholly intended to deal with the final months of his life, from the time he first started to use brothers Bob and Charley Ford as hired hands, but history states they did partake in a few robberies. It would have been nice to see more than the train robbery during the earliest moments of the picture.
Where the film does succeed is the performances of Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck. Both actors put in some of their finest performances and had "The Assassination of Jesse James" been given a larger release, Casey Affleck could have had a solid shot of getting out of the shadow of his older brother Ben. Brad Pitt delivers the troubled persona of Jesse James with an understated performance that is more genuine than the countless other actors who have given their attempts at bringing ´America´s Robin Hood´ to life. He feels dangerous, conflicted and genuine for the entire film. Pitt is a fine actor when given the right material and in this little seen film; Pitt shows his ability to master a role. Affleck is equally impressive as the nervous and fame focused Robert Ford. His character is young, naïve and shows a definite traitorous side where he is fully intent on becoming his own celebrity. Affleck shows intelligence in his portrayal as Bob Ford, but also the mistakes of youth that eventually bring down his downfall. If there is a singular reason to watch this picture, it is for the performances of its leads.
The supporting cast put forth solid performances as well. Sam Rockwell is nicely cast as the unintelligent, yet faithful brother Charley Ford. Rockwell is a fine actor who has been entertaining in the recent "The Hitchhiker´s Guide to the Galaxy" and other films such as "The Green Mile" and "Galaxy Quest," but his role in "The Assassination of Jesse James" is his finest. Sam Shepard brought Chuck Yeager to life in "The Right Stuff," but has a short stint in this film as the older James brother, Frank. Mary-Louise Parker does a very nice job of portraying the first-cousin wife of Jesse James, Zee. Paul Schneider and Jeremy Renner are good as outlaws who figured into the events that brought about the assassination of the American outlaw at the hands of Bob Ford.
I certainly did not dislike "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." However, I did feel it was a bit too long in the tooth given its limited subject matter. It did remind me of the Terrence Malick films "Days of Heaven" and "Badlands." The pacing was terribly slow and there were a little too many long scenes featured on the beauty of nature. The snowy landscapes were gorgeous, as were the forested hills and valleys. This is a wonderful looking western with great sets and costumes. It looks magnificent, but I find it hard to sit back and look at a series of paintings for more than perhaps a half an hour and there were long stretches of time when I felt more like I was witnessing a history book with pretty paintings and not watching an entertaining piece of cinema. The story is solid, the acting is incredible, but the long drawn out pace keeps "The Assassination of Jesse James" from being the brilliant film it could have been with a tighter picture.
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[release]22868[/release]