The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
By Jason Revill
Growing up Robert Ford idolized Jesse James and wanted nothing more than to one day be a part of his gang. Although he is hoping to be accepted by his idol as an equal, he finds that once he gets the opportunity to ride along beside his hero, the man in the stories he used to read and the man he comes to know are not the same. Unable to resolve this Ford begins to resent and eventually hate Jesse, until finally fed up of being terrorized by him Ford begins plotting to kill him. Unfortunately, once dead the light of celebrity that was cast on Jesse begins to shine on Ford and now he is famous for cowardly murdering a man who is remember as a Robin Hood.
This is really one of the best acted films of this year if not the best acted. The weakest performer is Brad Pitt and the worst thing you could say is that maybe he is slightly mannered, but that is if you’re looking for something. Otherwise you’d have nothing to complain about. Honestly, though, I enjoyed Pitt’s performance. He plays Jesse as a man who is not only a paranoid killer, but is as tired of his celebrity as he is his own murderous lifestyle. One of my personal favorite actors, Sam Rockwell, is fantastic as Robert Ford’s brother Charlie. He is always so on edge in the presence of Jesse that he just doesn’t know exactly what to do. Charlie is so afraid of causing him to become upset, that he is a nervous wreck doing anything (including laughing) at whatever Jesse says and filling any awkward silence so that everything stays calm.
However of all the performances, the one that will definitely get award consideration is Casey Affleck’s Robert Ford. As much as I liked him in Lonesome Jim this is by far his best work to date. Affleck plays Ford as a starry-eyed kid who meets his idol only to find out that the person he’s been reading about doesn’t really exist. Ford wants to simultaneously be and be like Jesse, but can’t deal with the fact that the man in the books he’s collected under his bed isn’t the real person he’s come to know.
There have been a lot of comparisons of The Assassination of Jesse James to the films of Terrence Malick and while the idea is not completely out there, it does have the ring of saying something just to say it. Malick’s style is similar to this film, but he has a more languid style that floats around giving an almost poetic nature to his films. Generally speaking, as in with Days of Heaven and The New World, it works beautifully, but in others, such as The Thin Red Line, scenes seem to meander and the film ultimately feels lost.
Roger Deakins’ cinematography is, in fac,t gorgeous, but it along with the film’s pace is as much about creating mood and tension as anything else. I see a lot of films and this one is about as tense a film as I’ve ever seen. You can appreciate the beauty of Jesse James all you like, but when it comes down to the moments leading up to Jesse’s murder it’s almost unbearable. In fact, there are multiple occasions where you’re not sure exactly what’s going to happen or if someone is going to get killed in a fit of Jesse’s paranoia. However, the genius here is that although the death it’s all laid out and you seen it coming a mile a way, the sheer fact that you have to watch it unfold makes it all the more excruciating.
The other fascinating thing about this movie that was a pleasant surprise is just how much of an examination of the nature of celebrity it is. Robert Ford was obsessed with Jesse James and did all he could to meet him and be involved in his gang. However, once he met the person he idolized, they weren’t what he had hoped for. He got what he asked for, but not what he expected. If you look up to a murderous sociopath, don’t be surprised when they turn out to be a murderous sociopath and not your best friend. It really captures the phrase “don’t be lonesome for your heroes”perfectly.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is far from your classic shoot ‘em up westerns like 3:10 to Yuma from earlier this year. That was a good film, but this is a borderline great film. At over two and a half hours and a pace that would loose to a snail in a foot race, Jesse James will definitely be hard for a lot of folks to get through, but those who do will find themselves loving it.
The Grade
- Story: A
- Acting: A
- Visuals: A
- Originality: A
- Enjoyability: A
- Overall: A
|
