Review of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) by Brian B — 03 Apr 2017

Though long, this movie contains some pretty moving scenes and it's a great effort which retells the final months of Jesse James life. It's about a younger member of the notorious James Gang who becomes drawn to him but he soon fears him killing him and he thinks about doing the unthinkable.

The soundtracks are moving and they're emotional and powerful. For a western, the actual gun-slinging is kept to a minimum as the movie focuses on the characters themselves. Dominik's direction is near flawless.

He lingers long on shots and he captures the characters expressions and uneasiness. By using this style, he allows the characters to give near perfect performances. However, the film doesn't explore these concepts thoroughly and leaves it a bit too ambiguous.

I don't like it when films spell everything out for me. Another feature the film lacks detail in is the female cast. They are insignificant and are reduced to mere cameos. When this played at the Venice film festival, it was 4 hours long.

It was cut shorter since then but my issues with the length would probably be more bigger had it not been cut down. I don't think this movie is a masterpiece like many other people think but it's very close to one and it is rather underrated.

If you like slower paced movies then this is for you.