The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

SCRIBE'S "YOU MUST BE ONE OF DEM FELLERS WHAT LIKES OTHER FELLERS" REVIEW:

Every great once in a while, a film comes along with literary merit. In some cases, that film comes from a literary source. Such is the case with (and I’m only gonna type this title once!) “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.”

Based on the novel of the same name, the film follows the final days of the infamous Jesse James as his luck slowly begins to run out. Brad Pitt is James in an intense, disturbing performance. Casey Affleck, a man swiftly becoming one of the better character actors in the industry, is the so-called “coward” Robert Ford.

When we first meet these characters, James comes across as affable and introspective while Ford seems like a deranged, homo-erotic stalker. It’s obvious Ford has idolized James for a long time and their scenes together reek of demented idol worship and thinly concealed attraction.

This is the time of the dissolution of the James gang. Jesse’s older brother Frank (the always cool Sam Shepherd) is tired of the bank robbing life and wants to go straight. The so-called “glory days” behind him, Jesse seems to be in a daze, unable to function in this new environment. But Ford is in love with him, platonically I’m sure (wink-wink) and has no intention of allowing the Great Jesse James, heroes of the Rebel Movement, to fade away.

What follows is a deeply introspective tale of hero worship and mortality. Somewhere along the way, thanks to Pitt’s incredible performance, James goes from likable to frighteningly psychotic. As James disintegrates into paranoia and betrayal, Ford matures. This is, after all, Ford’s tale more than it Is Jesse’s.

Ford is never taken as seriously as he believes he should be, but nobody can deny he has changed when he kills a man. Sam Rockwell also shines as his older brother as the two men realize they are the only ones left Jesse thinks he can trust. The ensuing tension is so thick, the film is often difficult to watch in its final hour.

This is not a short film, nor is it one to be watched while reading the paper or telling lil’ Greggers he’s a good boy. A recurring narrator reminds us we’re watching a novel on film. One must pay attention to this one to understand what’s going on. The performances are understated and intense. Pitt, Affleck and Rockwell are simply amazing in this film. They don’t so much portray these characters as inhabit them for the entire running time of the film.

Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in history.

****½ out of *****

GREEN’S “I’VE SORTA GOT STAGE FRIGHT WITH A STRANGE MAN IN THE COMMODE WITH ME” REVIEW:

In brief, this film tells of the idolization of Jesse James (September 5, 1842 - April 3, 1882) by one young Robert Ford and his desire to join the James Gang and befriend his boyhood hero. Once in the gang, Ford and his older brother Charlie become close to James as the rest of the gang gets killed or arrested. Then one fine spring day, BLAM!! Hence the most exciting part of the movie takes all of four seconds to view.

I wrote this review a few days ago but I’ve delayed posting it until today, which coincidentally happens to be the 127th anniversary of Jesse James death. Trust me, it wasn't originally planned this way (hence the coincidence).

But I have to level with you. Can a movie possibly be any more slow, tedious and boring than this? I have a healthy respect for history but watching paint dry is more fun than watching this snooze-fest. With a run time of two hours and forty minutes, this film is about an hour too long. I had to make myself sit up in a chair to watch this movie to avoid falling asleep. As it is I had to scan back on the DVD several times to rewatch parts I missed. The one chance this movie had to be interesting (but only for a moment, however) was gone with the all too brief blowing out of the candle, “And you thought I was a lady” scene.

Brad Pitt is either hit or miss with me. Most of the time miss, I’m afraid. I just don’t see why this guy is so in demand in Hollywood these days. Certainly there are other actors who could have easily played James and done it just as good, or better. In my opinion, Pitt just doesn't have the look for the role, no matter how scruffy and stubbly he looks. Grudgingly I'll admit that Casey Affleck did a decent job portraying the star-struck kid in the presence of his idol and deservedly was nominated for an Oscar.

Obviously, I thought the script was way too long. I’ve never read the novel on which the screenplay was based and it seems like the writer strives to be as historically accurate as possible, which is always a good thing. The instrumental music soundtrack was hauntingly moody, which seemed perfect for the tone of the film and livened up the tedium just a tad.

I did find it visually interesting that in the scene where James gets his brains blowed out, that we see a shot of him looking into the glass of the picture he was messing with on the wall and that he could see the reflection of Ford with the gun pointed at his head in the background, yet does nothing to stop what he must know is coming.

BTW, what’s up with the use of that annoying voice over narration to tell parts of the story? Couldn’t they have found some way of incorporating those nuggets of expositional information into the rest of the film?

Wasn't it the good old scribester who said not long ago that not every novel should be made into a movie? This is a classic example of that inescapable logic. You’ve got better things to do than sit through this movie, believe me. I know I’ll never need to watch it again, so I’m going to donate my copy of the DVD that I bought for the review to one of my local libraries, unless you can think of a better idea.

*½ out of *****