Jesse James - Hero or Outlaw?

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2009)

What you have to first realise is that I am an avid movie fan - I have watched thousands of movies in my lifetime and as time works I have developed an astute sense of films - Whats good and simply whats bad. It is for this reason that I found myself utterly shocked after my first viewing of Jesse James. This is a film, not merely created as a cowboy similar to that of a fistfull of dollars or any of the new, more modern western flicks, this is a film of utter poetry.
What works best for the film is its drama; make no mistakes, there are moments where you find yourself immersed in the film, to the extent in which you feel you are witnessing events as they take place - Another element, that of unpredictability is capitulated in Pitt's performance of Jesse and also Ford and the moment when he hopes to transcend the typical twenty year old stereotype - essentially, when is he going to kill Jesse? Moreover, the lighting and setting of this movie combined with the perfectly appropriate soundtrack and narrative are simply awe inspiring - this is a film truly made for cinema, coming with aces in all respects.