You think it's all made up don't ya? You think it's all yarns and newspaper stories.

Rating: 9/10 (27 December 2013)

Thanks to the Venice Film Festival for being the only ones that recognized that the real star of this artistic masterpiece is Brad Pitt, not Casey Affleck.
This is another western that doesn't fit the mold. It is an art film in every sense of the word. From the brilliant cinematography by Roger Deakins, a seven-time Oscar nominee (Fargo, No Country for Old Men, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Shawshank Redemption, The Man Who Wasn't There, Kundun, and this film), to the superb acting in an ensemble that provide a thrilling experience for 160 minutes.
Yes, Affleck was very good, and probably gave the performance of his career, but Pitt was clearly the star as Jesse James, a man possessed. He could go from friend to unemotional killer in an instant. He possessed an uncanny ability to discern the thoughts of others. He knew his time was over and committed suicide the only way he could.
The film was an interesting study of the celebrity cult that we experience today. Ford would have been right at home in People, or Entertainment Weekly, as someone who had style, but no substance.
If you are looking for bang, bang, shoot-em-up, look elsewhere. This is a film to be watched and studied.