Review of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) by Keith C — 06 Jan 2012

Just about everything I love about Westerns is present in "The Assassination of Jesse James..." Roger Deakens brings Terence Malick-ish beauty to the cinematography. The running time, while about 15 minues too long, gives everything time to breathe and allows the heavy psychology and subtext of the film to work its magic.

And the adolecent hero-worship of Western heroes is here as well. In fact, it's what this film is all about. Personally, I was so interested in the characters in this film that it's length did not bother me.

Not only was I interested in the main characters, but the supporting roles as well. I thought Pitt was solid as always and Affleck was amazing...he just took his career to the next level with this. I was also captivated by Paul Schneider and was reminded that Sam Shepard almost single-handedly lends authenticity to Westerns.

This is one of those films that I think I could write an essay about, so this review won't cover everything. But I loved it, loved it, loved it.