This western meditation on the perils of celebrity is certainly one of the best films of 2007. There is no denying the integrity and subseqent execution of Mr. Dominik's most singular vision; with this film he has elevated himself to the fore of American filmmakers. And I might add that Casey Affleck gives perhaps the performance of the year.

An excellent film. Its plodding pace mirrors the slow boil of youthful fantasy turned matured disillusionment. Affleck is perfectly cast as the designing, dangerous Ford. Pitt possesses greater range than I have previously given him credit for with a wonderfully deep performance. Rockwell continues to inhabit his on-screen personas with such ease and skill; he's frighteningly good to watch.

One of the films of the year. It blew me away with the masterful cinematography; there are some powerful shots in this. Say what you will of Brad Pitt, but he is a good actor. I must say I was surprised by Casey Affleck having 100 times the talent of his brother. I saw Atonement, and I still believe that a few of their Oscar nods should be replaced with this masterwork.

Slow, yes. But brilliant, too.

Easily the most boring movie I've seen in 10 years.

Id like to see it again. A fantastic movie, such a beuatiful portrayal by Affleck (Pitt is also good). The interplay between James and his killer was brilliantly drawn out, how I long to see movies like this where you actually get to know the person and their frailties without having it shoved in your face by obvious dialogue. It was quite long a la LOTR, but i respect that because it didnt end where we expected it to. I cant help feeling this film draws parallels with two of my other favourite films and predecessors in the Western (style) genre, The Proposition and Dead Man. Nick Cave wrote The Proposition and Warren Ellis its score. Beautifully slow cinematography and exceptional realism take you right back to the mid-19th century. Just lovely to watch.… Expand

20 minutes too long but still much to commend here. The soundtrack, cinematography, and Casey Affleck's performance are worth the ticket price. Just see it caffeinated.

I had no idea what I was walking into when I went to see this. Some people might find this film slow or boring, but I was glued to my seat for the entire duration. It is very emotionally intense, and if you really get into it, it won't seem nearly as long as it really is.

The film keeps you dozing around for a while and makes you painfully snore later on, but once a violent image appears. Your brain couldn't respond to the act quick enough that it turns into mush. What a disaster.

Okay, you don't have to like characters to be interested in their story, but, really... let the dweeb shoot the psycho in the back and lets get it over with, already. The pictures are beautiful, there's a level of professionalism to the work and, admittedly, some dynamic scenes, but with narration tricky enough under the best of circumstances; how did they convince themselves they could get away with aping the narration from "Ken Burn's Civil War" without inducing groans.… Expand

an instant classic western anyone who rates this movie poorly has no taste! Seriously I am surprised more people aren't talking about this movie. I guess real movies (not crap edited down to 100 minutes) aren't suited for today's audience. Watch it!

I just want to get one thing out of the way right now, the assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford is a slow movie. It can be very slow, and if you can't handle a 2 hour and 40 minute movie then you should not watch this. However, if you can then you will witness the best acting performance ever by Casey Affleck as one of the most intriguing and memorable movie characters ever. I can not explain enough how convincing he truly is as robert ford. The rest of the cast is as believable as can be, but casey still outshines everyone and is the sole reason to watch this film. I assure you that long after you're done watching the assassination you will be talking about how good he played that role. The transformations Robert Ford goes through throughout the entire movie is extremely interesting and not before long you become engrossed in his character and how he feels and its all due to casey's performance. I recommend this movie to anyone who appreciates good acting and or enjoys watching all kinds of films, but again if you cant handle the length of the movie then just stay away.… Expand

Although this film was overly long, the acting and cinematography made it worth seeing. Casey Affleck turned in an excellent performance as Robert Ford.

really a terrific atmospheric western. like nothing you're gonna see around right now. there are more than a few movie watchers who won't be alble to handle it , so beware.

In "Almost Famous", the late rock critic and founder of Creem magazine, Lester Bangs(Phillip Seymour Hoffman), advises his young protege to not make friends with the rock stars. William Miller(Patrick Fugit) doesn't heed his mentor's sage warning and gets chummy with lead guitarist Russell Hammond(Billy Crudup) of Stillwater. The Jesse James memorabilia that Robert(Casey Affleck) collects in his shoebox is the equivalent of the posters that hang on the budding rock critic's wall. Their idols, for the time being, exist only in the abstract. Although he doesn't visit his own home, the famous gunslinger's sudden appearance at the house of Wood Hite(Jeremy Renner) does echo Russell's surprise visit to the Miller residence at the end of the Cameron Crowe memoir. Bangs had told William to "be honest, and unmerciful" if he wanted to be a true friend. This is exactly what Robert does when he recreates his execution of Jesse James for the stage. Since "The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" plays like "Good Fellas"(the DeNiro character goes after all the airport heist participants just like how Jesse James eliminates his train robbery cohorts) more than any film that John Ford ever directed, it makes perfect sense that Robert shoots Jesse in the back. The Scorsese film informs us that gangsters are often shot by those closest to them. Since Jesse is Robert's friend(well, sort of; my ass-talkin' theory isn't airtight), he has the authority to kill. The staged play is equivalent to the article William writes about Stillwater. They're both non-fiction pieces; official documents of a true-life event. By not smudging the facts surrounding his vigilant gunfire, Robert respects his craft(assuming that playwriting and the dramatic arts are important to him) and the memory of his boyhood idol.… Expand

I was a little hesitant to purchase this D.V.D., considering the fact that I don't like western films at all. However, knowing that the movie was based on historical facts encouraged me to go ahead and take a chance. All I can say is WOW! I've never seen a movie with more intense visuals, a better sound track, or more intense acting performances! This isn't a movie, it';s a masterpiece of art on the Widescreen! The adaptation of the story is phenomenal, the panorama of the visuals is amazing, and the soundtrack is haunting. Casey Affleck gives the performance of a lifetime as the nit-witted, apparently harmless, yet ruthless Robert Ford, and Brad Pitt plays the part of Jesse James to perfection. In fact, all the acting performances in this movie are top notch, not to mention the fact that the cinematography is out of this world, the sound track is hauntingly surrealistic, and the story itself compelling. While watching this movie, I felt as if I myself had been transported back in time to 1881, and was watching the whole drama unfold before my very eyes! Incredible!!!!!… Expand

This movie gets a 2 only for the, at times, beautiful cinematography. Otherwise, it was plodding, overly obvious, and ran like a book on tape. The unenthusiastic, sleepy narrative all throughout the film never gave the actors a chance to do their job: act. Brad Pitt is like a mournful ghost, flitting in and out, never really committing or digging his heels in to the grit and substance of his character. Affleck is just plain uninspiring and unconvincing. At the end, the whole theater was asleep. They were waking each other up, going: 'Is it over?' I thought it was impossible to make a boring movie about Jesse James, but - apparently, you can.… Expand

Not only was it beautifully shot- the music also fitted effortlessly and dramatised the effect. You can listen in full to the Nick Cave soundtrack and listen to director Andrew Domink's playlist on the Last.fm Jesse James group page- have a look! Join the group and lots of goodies to win.

Excellent movie, no hollywood-flick but an emotional, historically correct masterpiece, that builds it's tension not by surprising plot-twists (everyone actually knows how the story goes) but by the great atmosphere, cinematography, the A+ musical score, the acting, cought in long, brilliant close-ups. If you're easily bored and rather entertained by car-chases and explosions, and you don't like the setting, than this film is indeed not recommended for you.… Expand

Excellent movie! Casey Affleck was superb.

One of my favorite films this year so far. Beautiful cinematography and scenery, great soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, and excellent acting. The film manages to feel authentic and mythic at the same time. It is a 'slow' film, yes, but an extremely compelling one for viewers with patience and an admiration for the genre

This movie is about the times we're living; about the 15 minutes of fame everyone wants to achieve and then be totally forgotten. It's about worship and its limitations and consequences. A wonderful, wondrous, powerful movie with an extraordinary Casey Affleck.

Gave this 1-1/2 hrs and then dragged ourselves sleepily out the door. Boring... aka "moody reverie" by the critics. Go see 3:10 to Yuma if you're looking for an engaging western. Or rent "Tombstone".

I must say, I enjoyed this, even though I really thought I would hate it. It is surprisingly funny, and beautifully shot by Roger Deakins. It is NOT however, well served by the music, which is elegiac and mournful, even at the funny bits, and totally telegraphed the feeling at the end. In fact, this is probably the worst (and most derivative) film score I've heard in a while. What was Nick Cave thinking? Acting was on par, with great work being done by an an interesting collection of actors. Sam Rockwell, Paul Schneider and, especially, Casey Affleck were great. Does producer/lead Brad deserved his Venice statue? I'm inclined to say so.… Expand

I never thought Jesse James was going to be that bad.

This was a beautiful film to watch, perhaps trying to hard to be an art piece, with an exceptional cadre of actors. You have to be in the mood or prepared for the slow psychological games and is just too long, and pleased with itself. A brilliant snooze, still one of the year's best films decidedly for adults only, kids will be bored to tears.

Very good movie, but way too long.

Absolutely spellbinding. An endlessly interesting character study that's flawlessly written and directed. Casey Affleck delivers in this career-defining role, and both he and Brad Pitt give two of the most complex performances I've ever seen in cinema. I understand that this film will actually bore many people. It is described as a western but it is an artistic western. It is about the film-making; the story; the characters, and not about the all so cliched shoot-em-ups and explosions you see in old westerns. If you can handle art, and steer away from action for just a little bit, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" will truly move you if you can view this in the correct context. If historical accuracy means anything to you, this is THE film to watch.… Expand

Visually, very well done. But slow, and way too long. Unbearably so. Had it been a little faster I could have dealt with the length. But I had to watch it in two sittings, I couldn't watch it all at once, without falling asleep. Not a total loss though. It is very interesting, and I was very into it at the onset, but eventually it lost me in the middle, only to get me back interested in the end.… Expand

I think the worst thing about the movie is that it fools some people into thinking it's intelligent and thoughtful. Watching these people calling this film 'high art' is a bit scary, and a little disheartening. This is intelligence? This is what art has become? I hope to God not. Please, give me a reason to hope not.

I am a connoisseur of cinematic detail. Especially in historical movies that I have a fair knowledge of the times they depict. And I am often absolutely, verbally, anal. I drive my wife nuts on this but to me even a background set filled with accurate prosaic items is cause for a private gasp of wonder for me. Hey--someone connected with the movie I am watching actually CARED about attempting to render history halfway realistically! Someone once said that the past is another country: "They do things differently there." Kudos to the screenwriter and the others who cooperated on this masterpiece. The dialog and diction (supported by the splendid cinematography!) transported me back to the late 1800s. The film seemed to me to be about as linguistically/historically perfect as it could possibly be. If the speech was not exactly "factually correct," it nevertheless rang profoundly true. These old flesh and blood American characters probably and actually talked like this--a mixture of transplanted British courtliness and low-down--often obscene--countrified slang. The clothing was right there along with everything else. I don't believe I will ever look at Kirk Douglas or John Wayne with their smart and silk perfectly-knotted neckerchiefs below their ostentatious Stepsons the same way again. A word or two on the film's cinematography.... This is the first time I have seen color photography that evoked both the beauty of western landscape, the stark, papered-over gritty poverty of frontier life and the "blurred-at-the-edges" sepia daguerreotyped glass plate images of a century ago. This movie was an outstanding experience for my wife and I.… Expand

6.5/10. Beautifully filmed, but very very slow and way overlong. The acting is great by everyone, the cinematography is superb. It has amazing period atmosphere. Very well written. I am sure the slow pacing was deliberate, but that doesn't prevent it from being boring at times. Most of the rating here is for the quality of the production.

Half of this film are people sitting around a table or a campsite eating. Eating... and... talking. And then someone says something and everyone get really quiet until the "tension" which you never feel, is broken by a lame, thought-up-at-the-last-minute crude supposed cowboy joke. Huh huh huh. The film is all about taking forever to get to the point, if there is one. The actors look like they came out of the 20th Century. The accents are obviously not natural. The film is tedious, and insulting- in the first half an hour, I was glad I got to see it for free, but near the end, I just left. This is a horrible film made by a man who must've been getting paid by the minute or something.… Expand

Not to dismiss John Wayne; but this is the best movie ever in the Western genre.

Hmm, I finally got around to watching this on DVD, and WOW! I like Brad Pitt a lot, although something tells me I shouldn't. All I can say is this has to be his best acting ever. His sense of existential pain is harrowing. But the movie as a whole brings up something I always wondered about while watching westerns as a kid in the fifties: If there's just one mean boss and a bunch of weak other guys in the gang, why doesn't one of them just off him and get it over with? I mean, it seems like it would be so easy!… Expand

Too long and boring.

Wow, how spectacularly uneventful! For 3 hours, absolutely nothing happens in this film, either emotional or action-wise - because the narrative tells you 'how it is' without letting the true drama unfold. The scenes are ponderous, monotonous, and disjointed. The characters are one-dimensional, completely awash in a sea of pretentiousness, this desperate striving for depth and a misguided attempt to create an 'art' film. Affleck in particular is made to carry this film, and his performance is fair, but not extraordinary. It just emphasizes the fact that he is not leading man material.… Expand

I've never seen so many people walk out of the cinema before. A very boring movie with overlong stretched scenes, trying to evoke emotions where there are none. Yes, some nice shots and yes, you get an good idea what it must have been like to live in those desolate times. But mumbling dialogs, too heavily accented, I cannot understand halve the time. I wouldn't recommend it!

The film of the year... bar none. Long ? Baloney! If anyone calls himself a film buff and complains about length of this film, he should stick to 30 minute sitcoms. I wouldn't want to see a second clipped. Great performances down the line. The best film of 21st Century. When they want to, they sure can make 'em like they use to.

Very involving and textured film. If you have any sort of cinematic attention deficit disorder, you will probably find it boring. Others will revel in its beauty

Best film of the year. A masterpiece.

A fierce and beautifully stylized requiem to an era- easily our own- a post-apocalyptic monochrome Book of Hours, all quirky medieval illumination in Prairie Sampler simplicity. Pitt gives a majestic and leonine portrayal of Jesse, as much trapped animal as hunted outlaw and Affleck is superbly contemporary as an empty and cowardly vacuum of vengeance.

Stinker -slowest large budget film in history - just awful -director complete egomaniac!

Flawed, too long, but a raw masterpiece.

The acting of Casey and Brad is more than awesome but the whole movie, well,it is worse than a piece of crap.

The long title gives away the plot, but damn is the movie good. The cinematography and atmosphere is incredible and the acting by Affleck is great, too. the music is awesome and the final 30 - 45 minutes are awesome. The film is better than 3:10, and if you liked this film >>> go watch the proposition.

Very enjoyable, especially the last thirty minutes, however; it is, in the words of one critic, in desperate need of a ruthless editor!

although a rather long movie, the movie captures the last few months before james' death. I highly praise Affleck's performance. this is possibly the best western movie ever

A realistic depiction of Jesse James. This is probably the most historically accurate version of his story that has ever been told on film.

Phenomenal film. Aimed at people who aren't stricken with, how should I say, stupidity. The Assassination of Jesse James is why I watch movies in the first place. There's no good or bad guy, the audience is not asked to pick sides, but only to witness the path that these two men have placed themselves upon. The film is beyond gorgeous, and evokes a certain awe during each and every scene. Casey Affleck gives the performance of a lifetime. Just see it if you're not retarded.… Expand

Well the first hour sort of plods along then the last hour & a half is excellent. Casey Affleck is very good as Bob Ford as is Brad Pitt. Music is also excellent & a nice cameo by Nick Cave (who did some of the music).

A good movie that I'm sure was a flop at the box office. It's too long, too thoughtful, too nuanced, and too talky for most viewers. It's another Scott father son vehicle, and like the recent "The Grey" it's focus is on the underlying themes and not the overt action. The movie does dispense with the "Jesse James was a hero" pretty conclusively after he beats a young boy, and we all know what's coming (don't take off that gun belt Jesse; don't dust that painting) and while his death was long past necessary his killer went on to infamy and also an assasinators bullets. Casey Affleck is great as a whispy hero worshipper who slowly develops traitorous thoughts. Pitt continues his under valued work as a very competent performer, but the kudos should go to the direction. Beautifully filmed, scored, and dialogued. Not a film for those with ADHD.… Expand

Just as Kubrick did with "Barry Lyndon," Andrew Dominik presents the story of Jesse James with a sweeping exposition, exchanging all dramatic cues in favor of character closeups, avant-garde style and a revealing narrator. Thanks to great performances by the whole cast and the expansive Western setting which complements the style surprisingly well, Dominik pulls it off.

U have to be very psychologically prepared for this drama feast of fabolous performance by Casey Affleck and ofcourse Brad Pitt. At first, the movie seems hard to be watched but as time passes (movie last for about 3 hours) u become more curious 'bout things that would eventually happen, though aware what will be in the end. Name of the movie itself is the mini-synopsis, but this one is definitely slow-paced drama NOT written for mass audience. For what is worth its not commercial...… Expand

Some may find it tiresome (they should watch more action-packed Westerns then), for me it is the best Western ever made. Not that it's a perfect representation of the genre per se, but it's a perfect, psychologically energetic, beautiful drama about human nature, about identity, loneliness and friendship, fatherly bonds, rivalry, vulnerability and affection, and maybe above all, the human need of creating and believing in myths.
Also probably the best acting I've ever seen in a Western, Casey Affleck is outstanding.… Expand

This movie is simply amazing. The writing, acting, direction, and production are all perfect. Some may call the movie slow, but I didn't think so at all. I was engaged throughout the entire movie.

This is a tremendously ambitious movie. Clocking in around two and a half hours, it is a hefty investment for a movie whose scale and action is more implicit and controlled than grandiose and bombastic. This is to say that the movie dragged a bit. But, taking it aside from this fact, if you can make your way through it in one sitting, it is the most compelling character study I have ever seen. Everything is acted to a near perfect level and the cinematography is engrossing. For me at least, the artistic value of this piece outweighs the length and it is by far my favorite movie of 2007.… Expand

Thanks to slick lighting, immersive storytelling and nuanced character depth, Andrew Dominik's Neo-Western drama is visually and emotionally gripping throughout. The film offers a fascinating exploration of idolisation and myth-making, and Casey Affleck is superb as nerve-stricken adolescent Robert Ford. Dominik's balance between art and entertainment is spot-on, and although (like its title) the film is a little on the long side, the story of America's best-known outlaw has never before been told with such spellbinding energy and emotion.… Expand

Point blank, this is probably the single most underrated film in the last decade. Absolutely **** amazing, and one of the best movies I have EVER seen. The acting was beyond incredible, as was the cinematography, music, directing, writing, plot, and everything else. This is a true masterpiece.

Haunting, Spellbinding, complete badassery. Easily of the best movies ever made!!
Definitely the best soundtrack ever made. Yes Nick Cave is a serious rockstar when it comes
to making a soundtrack sound so honest to its tone that is makes you feel six emotions at once. Give this
movie a chance and it will change your life.

I cant say how bad is this. I really cant but I will try, even if is painful to remember. Lets see, It does not make you cry or bring tears at least (its not a drama film), it has very few bullets or kills or chases (is not an action film), it will not scare you (is not a terror film), it does not have a mystery or plot twist (is not a suspense film), it absolutely will not make you laugh (is not a comedy film), It does not help you at all (it is not a self-help film), it has not biographical accuracy or plot (is not a bio film). To be short, IT IS NOT A FILM AT ALL. But if it would be a film, it would be the worst film ever.… Expand