Moody, a bit overblown, but fairly good.

Rating: 7/10 (8 March 2008)

If nothing else, this film should have won an Oscar for longest title of 2007. The Asassination of Jesse James... is the story of the final days in the life of the legendary outlaw, and the mousy young man who ends his life. This film has many strengths, but it just meanders a bit too much to really move its intended audience. More than anything, you'll remember the beautiful cinematography by Roger Deakins. He was nominated for an Oscar for his work on No Country For Old Men, and his work here may have been even better.
The film begins with Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and his brother Frank (Sam Shepard) staging one last big train robbery. By this point in their careers, they are the last of their original gang still together. The rest of the guys they use for the job are a motley crew of low-lifes from the backwoods of their native Missouri. One of these fellows, who literally just walks into their camp and tries to suck up to everyone, is a young man named Robert Ford. Casey Affleck plays this young man who seems to have read and memorized about everything ever written about Jesse James and considers him a hero. Nobody seems to even want to talk to the lad except Jesse James himself. Maybe he's just being polite as a famous athlete would to a young autograph seeker. But when the robbery goes down, Ford is right there with the gang, and the robbery is a success. After the job, the gang splits up except for Ford who Jesse inexplicably allows to stay with him for a brief spell. After a while he is finally sent packing, but by this point their destinies are intertwined, and anyone who reads the movie's full title will certainly know what happens in the end.
There are some great things about this film to be sure. The acting is outstanding. Casey Affleck earned his Oscar nomination. He is exceptional as the skittish young man Robert Ford who dreams of fame, but understands that the most sure fire way to get it is to kill his hero. Brad Pitt is.... well, he isn't bad as Jesse James. Maybe its a sign that his acting is finally getting better if I can't tell you he was terrible like he usually is. Sam Shephard was miscast, but it still would have been better if he'd been in the film past the first half hour. His Frank James character splits for the east coast after the initial robbery. Sam Rockwell, as Robert Ford's brother, is pretty good, as well. Pacing is a problem for this film, and almost sinks it. The first 45 minutes or so are outstanding. Then, the film just seems to evaporate for a while and nothing of note happens. The final 45 minutes or so are also outstanding as the film redeems itself with a very insightful ending. We see that Robert Ford becomes more "infamous" rather than famous after shooting Jesse James in the back of the head. Luckily, the great look of the film helps pass the time during the dead spots.
It almost seems like the art of cinematography is being reborn in Hollywood. For too long now, people have been letting CGI do all the work, and not catching the magic of the outdoors on real film as well. Remember back to the 1970s when nearly every film looked this good. The days of Laszlo Kovacs, Vilmos Zsigmond, and Nestor Almendros were wonderful. It looks like people are starting to care what their films look like once again. This film cost roughly 30 million dollars to make. It barely made a tenth of that in theaters. It's hard to say who they thought their audience was going to be for this film. Most western fans demand more action, hence the huge payday for 3:10 to Yuma last fall. The Asassination of Jesse James is nothing like that, and many casual viewers may not even get through it. I'd recommend it, but it is not quite a great film. 7 of 10 stars.
The Hound.