The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford ★★★★½

Reviewed by Cassam Looch
Stars Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Mary-Louise Parker, Sam Rockwell,
Sam Shepard, Zooey Deschanel, Paul Schneider, Jeremy Renner,
Garret Dillahunt, Michael Parks
Written by Andrew Dominik, based on the novel by Ron Hansen
Certification UK 15 | US R | Australia MA
Runtime 160 minutes
Directed by Andrew Dominik

The long delayed three-hour (or so) Oscar-baiting epic is upon us, and it is a superb exercise in cinematic control, onscreen flair and good old-fashioned filmmaking. Certain not to be to everyone’s liking thanks to its conservative pacing and moderate tone, the film nonetheless stands out as a career high for Brad Pitt, and one of this year’s most engaging movies by some margin.

Casting a balanced eye on the final years of Jesse James (Pitt) and his dysfunctional (and treacherous) gang, the story begins with what was one of the final acts of note in the outlaw’s life. The train robbery in question is brutal and violent, and yet the film allows us to appreciate the ‘Robin Hood’ type legend that quickly built up around James. As his brother leaves him behind for a more quiet life, James is forced to quickly (and against his better judgement) recruit a small group of thieves for another job. One of his long time admirers joins them, but Robert ‘Bob’ Ford is only really kept in with Jesse’s inner circle thanks to his brother Charley (the excellent Rockwell) whom James trusts explicitly. As paranoia descends on all members of the gang, Bob grows resentful of Jesse’s toying with his adulation and when the Ford brothers commit one act of violence close to home, they are forced to take desperate measures. Bob will soon get the celebrity he craves to take away from Jesse, but it has its own terrible price.

With every film that even remotely goes near the territory of the ‘classic Western’, we are tediously told that the rebirth of that genre is just around the corner. The fact is that modern audiences are too savvy and historically educated to fall for most of the hokum that passed as entertainment decades ago. Sure there were the odd masterpieces such as ‘The Searchers’ and ‘High Noon’ but overall the standard was mediocre at best. This languid work on the surface could be classed as an old-school Western, but only by those who get their film reviews from ‘This Morning’ with Paul Ross or (shudder) Alison Hammond. The idea of putting one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors in the role of America’s most iconic ‘hero’ might seem a straightforward choice in casting, but in Pitt you have an actor first and a star a distant second. Imagine if you will Tom Cruise trying to pull off this character, a paranoid and delusional man prone to equal bouts of rage and charm. Imagine any actor trying to reign in a larger than life personality over the course of a delicate yet simple plot.

The call for Pitt to be rewarded at the Oscars is more than justified, and he may not even be the most impressive person on screen in this film. Casey Affleck as the impressionable and equally steely Robert Ford has to play a man reviled in historical terms yet he delivers a heavyweight punch well above his normal fighting weight. With a haunting soundtrack and flawless performances all round director Andrew Dominik has successfully delivered a case for and against a great American legend… and a definite ‘yes’ in terms of Pitt’s abilities as an actor.

• Official Site
• The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford at IMDb