The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Name: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Crime, Western
Released: September 21, 2007
Duration: 160 min
Rating: 68
Cast: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard

2007

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Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 247 Ratings

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8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 247 Ratings

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The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: September 21, 2007 | R

Starring: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard

Summary: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford delves into the private life and public exploits of America's most notorious outlaw. As the charismatic and unpredictable Jesse James plans his next great robbery, he wages war on his enemies, who are trying to collect the reward money--and the glory--riding on his capture. But theThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford delves into the private life and public exploits of America's most notorious outlaw. As the charismatic and unpredictable Jesse James plans his next great robbery, he wages war on his enemies, who are trying to collect the reward money--and the glory--riding on his capture. But the greatest threat to his life may ultimately come from those he trusts the most. (Universal Pictures)… Expand

Director: Andrew Dominik

Genre(s): Biography, Drama, History, Crime, Western

Rating: R

Runtime: 160 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Lisa Schwarzbaum

The nervy style of this newfangled Western, with its eerie, insinuating score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, is so effective that long after Pitt and Affleck have left the screen, emotional disturbance lingers like gun smoke. Read full review

Sean Axmaker

Pitt won the Best Actor award at Venice for his Jesse...Yet it's Affleck who impresses most as the wary, skittish Bob. Read full review

Michael Phillips

It is a film, often breathtaking without settling for being pretty, filled with nervous silence. Read full review

James Berardinelli

It’s far less engaging than the recent "3:10 to Yuma" remake and concentrates more on the details than the broad picture. Read full review

J. Hoberman

Although not as radically defamiliarizing as Jim Jarmusch's avant-western "Dead Man," Jesse James has the feel of an attic ransacked for abandoned knickknacks. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

A film whose reach exceeds its grasp. Hugely ambitious and not without moments of success, this indulgent 2 hour and 40 minute epic ends up as unwieldy as its elongated title. It's a movie in love with itself, and few things are more fatal than that. Read full review

Lou Lumenick

A gorgeous snooze, somewhere between imitation Terrence Malick and a feature version of star Brad Pitt's notorious Vanity Fair layout with Angelina Jolie and their faux kids. Read full review

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User Reviews

Ninorota

Jun 18, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. An absolute masterpiece cinematography soundtrack, cast.
This movie went overlooked or it was just over the heads of most viewers now in my top 10.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SmithA.

Feb 29, 2008

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 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

1 of 1 users found this helpful

Johnny

Nov 8, 2008

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 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

4 of 5 users found this helpful

FilipeNeto

Jun 26, 2021

Revisit and demystify Jesse James.

Western-themed movies aren't my thing, but every now and then I entertain myself by watching some. This was one of the most recent ones I've seen, and I wasn't disappointed. The plot focuses on the historical figure of Jesse James, murderer and bandit whoRevisit and demystify Jesse James.

Western-themed movies aren't my thing, but every now and then I entertain myself by watching some. This was one of the most recent ones I've seen, and I wasn't disappointed. The plot focuses on the historical figure of Jesse James, murderer and bandit who went down in US history and was, during his lifetime, a social and cultural icon. Talking about him and his image is something that still arouses passions and a lively historical debate. This is not the place to check the veracity of everything that is said about him, but we can say right away that he is a figure in constant revision, and that this film was able to resist the temptation to follow James' mythology, giving us a more historically accurate portrayal of the character.

The script doesn't give us an overall perspective on James' life but allows us to see how he ended up dead in treason by the Ford brothers, members of his own band. The film, directed by Andrew Dominik, is a slow drama, in which the pace and duration of almost three hours will surely keep the most restless audience away. There are moments of action, but they are punctual, and the entire film focuses on building and developing the characters, especially Robert Ford.

The cast is remarkable and is headed by Brad Pitt, one of the best works of his acting career, at least in my eyes. He's impressive and commanding, and his presence fills the screen and steals attention with strong charisma and remarkable dramatic ability. Casey Affleck, too, was fully committed to his work and was happy in the way he revived Robert Ford. We couldn't demand more or better from these actors. Besides the two of them, the film also features good performances by Sam Shepard, Sam Rockwell and Paul Schneider.

Technically, it's an amazing movie, starting with wonderful cinematography, sharp, very focused, with a clever use of darker colors and landscapes. The train arrival scene at night is one of the most visually impressive I've seen in a while. The sets and costumes also play their role very well, and they seemed incredibly rigorous and respectful of the period and historical context. The soundtrack fits the final result very well.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ChadS.

Feb 9, 2008

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 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

0 of 1 users found this helpful

fungusgnat

Jun 8, 2016

For a synopsis of the film, see the title, an essay in itself. The film is similarly lengthy, unfolding leisurely over two hours and forty minutes. While nominally a Western, TAOJJBTCRF quiets down after the only gunfight, less than 45 minutes in. That’s just as well, because what’s onFor a synopsis of the film, see the title, an essay in itself. The film is similarly lengthy, unfolding leisurely over two hours and forty minutes. While nominally a Western, TAOJJBTCRF quiets down after the only gunfight, less than 45 minutes in. That’s just as well, because what’s on the screen is a character-driven drama about hero worship as self-realization—and that’s self-realization of the destructive kind. Character is well portrayed, dialog realistically written and well played, and the extra-wide 2.35:1 aspect ratio constantly brings in the bleak natural environment as an additional role, one that is in a sense voiced by a narrator. Photography and editing are beautifully done, and the tinkly musical score works better than might have been expected. A decent film, if a bit mannered, worth a second look. DVD has no special features about the film itself, Blu-Ray notwithstanding.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

ChristopherC.

Feb 10, 2008

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 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.… Expand

0 of 6 users found this helpful

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59	#59 Most Discussed Movie of 2007
25	#25 Most Shared Movie of 2007