PLEASE, cut a long story short!

Rating: 7/10 (23 January 2008)

Having read all those articles regarding the god-like performance of Pitt and Affleck, and having slept last night to the brilliant OST by Nick Cave, I must say I exited the theater with a sour taste in my mouth. It could be those bad quality Nachos, but most likely it was the feeling that the movie I had just watched, missed a great chance of becoming one of my all-time favorites...I don't want to spoil an already spoiled (due to the title) movie, so I will be as abstract as possible.
First things first, the acting of the two protagonists is indeed brilliant. Jesse's eyes reveal a marvelous mix of lunacy, cruelty, tenderness and desperation, in a way only really great actors can deliver. Bob Ford, on the other hand, has everything a made-to-be-hated character must have. The creepy look in his eyes and the trembling voice, both demonstrating his awe and fear of Jesse at the beginning of the film, give way to a vile stare and determined outbreaks as the film progresses... Just brilliant!
The photography and music of the film also live up to the fuzz about the movie. Especially the score, by the hand of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, is as lyrical and sad as it can be, almost unfit for a Western. A true requiem for a great man!
So, what is it that disappointed me? At first, it was the feeling that the director focused on the wrong details. I should be cautious with this criticism, since I have not read the book, but I really wanted to see more of Jesse's life, what civilians thought of him during his "career" etc, and less of the trivial stuff about his men's lives. Jesse James is the star here, not Ed Miller!
The second -and most important- drawback of this movie, is its length. There is no polite way to say it.. I got bored! And for a movie with such great acting to make someone bored, it must be REALLY slow! And it is! More than I could imagine! I am not against long films. I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings (even wanted more), I loved A Clockwork Orange, I liked Braveheart... But in those cases, the plot unrolling was constant during the whole length of the movie. In Jesse's case, it's not. Sunsets are great, snowy fields are nice, and long blank stares have their importance. But... This movie should last one and a half hour, to a maximum of two. Not more. That would be ideal, the plot would advance with a steady pace and people would appreciate a nice scenery, instead of saying "ah, nice, here's my chance to go out for a cigarette" (I actually heard that one!).
My 7/10 is mostly due to the acting, music and photography. It could have been an 8, but I can't rate so highly a movie I caught myself wishing to end...