"And the omens promised bad luck, which moated and dungeoned him."

Rating: 10/10 (2 June 2008)

What's incomprehensible to me is why this film didn't gain any traction during it's initial theatrical run. I couldn't even a locate a theater within fifty miles that was showing it and had to wait until this week to get my hands on a library copy. Which points to another problem - I never even saw this picture come out for sale in any of the major retail outlets, and I'm in a Walmart at least four times a week.
I just watched "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" twice in two days, back to back. It's a stunningly visual film, with cinematography that will take your breath away. Two scenes that stand out for me include the dark of night arrival of the Blue Cut train, and Jesse (Brad Pitt) riding into the sun after the exchange with young Albert Ford. It's apparent that cinematographer Roger Deakins was after a certain look for the film, and the result is poetry in pictures.
As for the story, it balances an intense character study of nineteen/twenty year old Robert Ford against the dynamism of one of the nineteenth century's most famous historical figures. That Jesse James was an outlaw is almost besides the point. For Bob Ford (Casey Affleck), Jesse was a larger than life figure who he worshiped from an early age; to meet and ride with him was almost beyond his comprehension. The scene that best conveys Ford's hero worship came when he described the similarities between himself and Jesse at the dinner table of the Ford homestead. That scene among many others convey just how masterfully Casey Affleck portrayed the troubled soul of his character.
So I'm watching the scene of Bob Ford in his meeting with Governor Crittenden, and I'm saying to myself - boy, the governor sure looks a lot like James Carville, famed Democratic strategist and loyal Clintonista. Having to satisfy my curiosity, I look up the credits and WAIT!!!, that IS James Carville!! Where in the world did that casting decision come from? And you know what? He wasn't that bad!!
Without hesitation, I'd recommend this one to all Western movie fans because of it's treatment of a renowned historical figure, and also to non-Western fans for the intensity of the personal stories on center stage. My second viewing of the movie seemed even quicker than the first, and at two hours, forty minutes, that's no mean feat. What makes the film even more compelling is the follow up to the actual event of the title, as Bob Ford's brush with fame and notoriety is examined right up until his own eventual undoing. Here's hoping that "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" experiences it's own revival of sorts so that more film goers can enjoy the complexity and wonder of this stunning picture.