An intriguing Western character study

Rating: 7/10 (23 August 2008)

This film follows Jesse James (Brad Pitt) in the final days of the the James Gang as he becomes increasingly paranoid that the gang's members are out to betray him. If that wasn't already true, James's tactics only hasten the end that will come to him by way of Robert Ford (Casey Affleck).
The performances are good for the most part but I didn't think much of Brad Pitt as Jesse James. He didn't convince me that James was a character whose fate I should care about in the least. Casey Affleck's Robert Ford, on the other hand, showed an interesting blend of hero worship and spite and was certainly worthy of the Oscar nomination that resulted. Also, the underrated Sam Rockwell gave a noteworthy performance as Charley Ford.
The film looks attractive, although some of that imagery is snatched practically verbatim from other films like "The Searchers". I feel that the main detraction from the film's overall appeal is in the storyline. The film performs well as a character study but the plot falls flat until the late stages when some life is finally injected into the proceedings. Nevertheless, the film is undeniably interesting when, at the end, you step back to take a look at the big picture.
I recommend this film to fans of the Western genre but those more interested in straight drama will likely get the most out of it.