Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

Director: Andrew Dominik
Writers:  Andrew Dominik, Ron Hansen
Cast:      Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell
Robert Ford, who idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the reforming gang of Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader.

With a running time of close to three hours and the obvious spoiler in the title for those who don't know about the related history, one would think it will be a dull watch. But you will be mistaken. The question is who is the coward. It is not just a western but a character study on the main two characters and how history was retold subsequently. The exquisite cinematography reminded me of  Terrence Malick films. Actually Andrew Domink wanted it to be more contemplative like a Malick film but was opposed by the studio. I hope Dominik gets to make more films.

Rating: 5/5

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