A sublime atmosphere

Rating: 8/10 (10 August 2009)

I'm almost reluctant to want to review this film at all; it is both mesmerizing and languid. I'm convinced audiences will fall into either camp, though after the first hour it is nothing short of magnificent. Brad Pitt, who produces, said his preferred cut was 4.5 hours; let's hope it becomes available, though at 2.5 hours for the big screen, its half an hour too slow in its inception.
Casey Affleck is exceptional as the lead character, Ford, though accolades have so far been directed more at Pitt for playing against type, which he has done brilliantly in the past in films like Twelve Monkeys, (True Romance anyone?). Performances aside, this is really a study on the pitfalls of celebrity, the folly of youth and perhaps reiterating the cry that last Born's do really want to change the world.
The soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is exquisite, marrying with photography and tone perfectly, unlike some of the grating soundscapes they created, perhaps appropriately, for The Proposition.
Kudos must go to Ron Hansen for his introspective novel, though Aussie Andrew Dominick in only his second feature as Director creates a sublime atmosphere, hanging on nuance, savoring tension though sometimes guilty of not cutting when he should. Let's hope his efforts don't go unnoticed while the media scramble around Pitt, imitating art, imitating the demise of Jesse James.