Review of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) by Dan S — 01 Dec 2011

A handsomly constructed though very flawed slow-paced Western concerning the adventures of Jesse James, as well as his awkward relationship with Robert Ford (Casey Affleck), a consistently tormented young man who idolized James as a child.

This movie is quite frustrating, due to its running time (there is no good reason to have this thing clock in at nearly three hours. None), and its rather incoherence plot-wise throughout. However, it is very realistically acted, particularly Pitt and Affleck, who are both tremendous, and the last half hour of the movie are irrefutably powerful.

While director Andrew Dominik certainly gets self-indulgent, he correctly romanticizes Robert Ford to the point where you truly feel sorry for him, an incredibly difficult task when one attaches the word "coward" next to his name.

A pretty good film, but one badly in need of an editor to trim the fat and unnecessary conversations.