The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford [Blu-ray]

Westerns are constantly being reinvented. Sometimes just adequately. But sometimes, as in the case of this film, they set the bar for a whole new level of enjoyment within the genre. And ironically, (much like a Sergio Leone film) it's being done by a Director who's not even American! You'd think that we Americans would know best how to make movies about our own history, as well as within a genre that all but defined early American cinema, but Dominik (Director of the Australian classic "Chopper") aced this one. He's captured the flavor and feel of the Reconstruction Era (as best we can understand it today).The whole film is a Western-noir of epic proportions. A Greek Tragedy that slices open and lays bare the reality of notoriety, gained at the cost of crime...the notion of romanticizing the Old West has never been so thoroughly destroyed, as in this film. No one is a winner in this movie. And for my money, THAT is what makes it so great. That disconnect that you often feel with the times when watching other westerns isn't present in this film. The characters are so genuine, so real, and the attention to historic detail in every facet of the movie is so meticulous, that you get a sense of not being just a mere spectator, but of actually being a silent, awe-struck participant, standing just barely and always at arms length, wishing you could reach in and halt the tragedy that is unfolding in front of you.The film's BEAUTIFUL cinematography and musical score also help to gel moments of extreme, gut-wrenching emotion...like the build-up to the scene where Jesse gets killed, for example, which is so poetically rendered. At the moment Jesse says; "Don't that picture look dusty?", the score comes in, and this point in time is set in a mournful, heart-stopping way. Bob & Charley (Affleck and Rockwell) are so limp with fear, love, shame, remorse, etc., it's almost beautifully unbearable to even watch. For anyone who knows their history and what's about to happen, you feel as if you'd give anything in the world to somehow turn back the clock at this critical juncture in our nation's past. To somehow right the apparent wrong.Casey Affleck is AMAZING as a squirrelly, mincing villain...he's really the ultimate stalker! Yet, by the end of the film, you can so thoroughly feel his own pain over what he's done, that you don't know whether to embrace him, or loathe him. His character was not an easy one to portray. Bob Ford made the history books, but not in the dire way he so longed to be remembered. Ultimately, he realized that. But it was more than just too late to redeem himself. He would be immortalized forever in the less than flattering die which he alone had cast himself in.It's a long film, as some people have complained about. But for American history buffs...and for pure film buffs who enjoy movies that are more art than prepackaged, predictable Hollywood westerns...this film will adorn your library, much the way an original Russel painting might hang with prominence over your fireplace. If you love the genre and you want to be transported back in time, then by all senses, the film actually seems to end too soon! ;-)

This movie was such a classic in my mind that I was surprised to find so many negative reviews. So instead of reiterating other positive reviews, I'll try to defend this film from some of those negative comments.First, I believe this movie to be a masterpiece. This happens when a group of people--actors, directors, writers, photography, etc--come together to convey a single profound message to the viewer. By necessity, there must be some resonance in that viewer and a desire to explore the depth and meaning of the story. This story is deep and you won't get satisfaction from it with a cursory look. You either have to be ready or be willing to be pulled into the characters and the story line. Any film that delves into character analysis, especially of two people like this one, must necessarily pack material and avoid using time wasting dramatic effects that attract viewers on a more superficial level. I wasn't expecting this when my wife and I sat down to watch this film and we started kind of late. But this movie literally locked us in our seats.The film is long and there is a lack of "action" in terms of a typical western. However, the action is in the character and story development. Each side story, each additional character development, is placed and used for a reason, ie, to build the story. For some, the character development of Dick Liddl must have seemed pointless. Without him, we don't fully understand the complex and mendacious nature of the James Gang. He is the landscape upon which the main characters, Jesse, Bob Ford and Charlie Ford, are painted.When there is "action", it is quick, violent, chaotic and short. There are no righteous "shoot 'em ups". Every death is as it is in life: sad, tragic and distressing. The film makers don't glorify it. They build a lot of anxiety with the careful and judicious use of violence. The characters have a lot of problems as it is and you are always reminded that these characters and others like them can be tempted to solve their problems with violence.Contrast this with the pyschological brutality of Jesse James, remarkably portrayed by Brad Pitt. Jesse is like a gun. Every time he is around, you are reminded that things can go very bad. The film makers masterfully portray this mood and explore what it must have been like to have been someone like him, swept by events into the role of leader of a dangerous gang and his inability to deal with it or accomplish much without his brother.There is a lot of confusing and archaic dialogue which I think lends to the authenticity of the film. Several film makers have tried this to varying degrees of success. Again, this takes a little concentration and would seem distracting to the viewer looking for a more typical western. It is a very difficult endeavor to move a viewer to a different time and most films are satisfied with using the cloths of a bygone era as mere backdrop. In this film, you feel the dust, the cold, the hunger and even the saddle sores of that time.This film is disturbing. It doesn't entertain like the Wild Bunch, a classic itself. There are no "white hats" to associate with. There is a narrative in the film that says "theirs was a wandering existence" and so will your experience as the viewer. The minute you start to like a character, he'll do something to remind you of his flawed nature. And this is a story of flawed characters dealing with a subject bigger than themselves. The tragedy is that they are drawn to self-destructive behavior by the agrandizing stories that made them famous to the outside world.The interesting irony to this film is that the critics who dislike the slow pace and complexity do have a spot in this film. The elaborate literature that draws Bob Ford to the life of an outlaw betrays him. The shoot'em up portrayals that so many like (as I do as well) are traps to those who do not understand that they are nothing more than self-absorption, pure egotistical fantasy where the hero wins in the end and evil is beaten. This film reminds you that these struggles are all internal and eternal. And that there is no guarrantee for a happy ending in the physical world.This film reminds me of All the Pretty Horses, The Unforgiven, and Ride with the Devil, although ATPH and RWTD follow a more formulaic hero tale.