Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
With the glorious exception of Peckinpahâs Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid, itâs almost never a good idea to introduce a modern political sensibility into a period western, but thatâs exactly what we get here, as the legendary Confederate outlaw Jesse James is unwisely revisioned into something resembling George W. Bushâs worst nightmare. The problem is driven home by the ridiculously pretentious, laughably overly reverent narration by Hugh Ross, making the fatal mistake of trying to nudge the viewer and tell him or her what to think instead of allowing a person to make up their own mind about the events onscreen, from the terrible first five minutes (âThe room would become warm when he entered it.â haha) right on to the end, thus heightening the sensation that what we are watching is merely a series of scenes with people basically kissing the title characterâs ass, until of course one of them has other ideas. The problem is such that it nearly negates several positive aspects of the film, starting with the acting: Brad Pitt as James refuses to instill the character with false nobility, playing him as an Old West boogyman you wouldnât want to have come knocking on your door, yet at the same time despising himself for what heâs become; Casey Affleck as the âcowardâ remains fascinating every moment heâs onscreen, achieving the impressive feat of making the viewer wonder whatâs going through his mind at any given time; Sam Rockwell as his brother walks a fine line as his character remains tormented at all times, divided within himself between his love and loyalty to his treacherous sibling and his innate desire to be faithful to his master Jesse; the rest of the cast all make an impression in their own way, from Sam Shepardâs ten-minute extended cameo as Frank James to Garrett Dillahunt as a character so pathetic he recalls the one time he slept with a hooker as being the most romantic moment of his life. Only Zooey Deschanel, in a throwaway five-minute role late in the film, seems utterly wasted. The story makes some vital points about obsessive hero worship, idolatry, and the way the public makes a folk hero out of someone simply because of the mediaâs incessant coverage of that person, but a scene with none other than James Carville as the evil governor who explicitly STATES IN THE DIALOGUE that James is actually a âthreat to Republicansâ is definitely a part that should have been either removed or altered, since it shows that writer / director Andrew Dominik is clearly taking sides in trying to say that James took on the conservative establishment when the truth is he was merely a Confederate rabble rouser who hated ALL things connected to the North and Northern politics in general (and enjoyed slaughtering anti-slavery advocates to boot). On the other hand, the cinematography by Oscar nominee Roger Deakins is beautiful and evocative, creating a mood and atmosphere thatâs appropriate to the story (though lifting a shot directly from Gladiator is a bit crass). Hard as the film tries, I really couldnât figure out what made Jesse James a âgreat manâ (outside of his love for his family), and even though the final scenes show the huge amount of shit that Ford was forced to swallow for being a coward, James is also shown to be a man that prefers shooting people from behind (at one point the sheriff actually says to Ford âDonât turn your back to himâ) not to mention beating the crap out of a helpless twelve-year old boy, to the point that it seems that Ford being reviled for giving the man a taste of his own medicine comes off as a complete double-standard. Dominik deserves credit though for making a two hour, forty minute western that focuses more on story than action, and yet never letting the viewer get too bored with a lagging pace, thanks to some fine editing. Overall, a technically impressive effort that gets undone by its own pomposityâŚ
5/10