This picture looks dusty

Rating: 4/10 (11 December 2015)

There are a few good things I can write about this film. For instance, the cinematography was outstanding! The camera work, especially in regards to the face shots were truly works of art. Another positive part of the film was the narration. Obviously, from the title of the film, it was not a surprise that Robert Ford, who we meet early in the film, would bring about the downfall of Jesse James. What I appreciated about this film is that the Director (Andrew Dominik) didn't attempt to surprise us with the ending either. The narrative style proved a great vehicle for the film as it was told as a story recollecting the fall of a historic figure. One other thing that can be positively stated about the film was its score. Warren Ellis and Nick Cave crafted a beautiful score that highlighted the downfall of the once great power, Jesse James. The needlessly long story chronicles the final months of Jesse James life, and the boy who idolized him. I call Robert Ford, played by Casey Affleck a boy at 19 years old because his hero worship of Jesse James rendered him almost infantile. We meet Jesse James after his heists and notoriety had already consecrated him to the status of legend. Robert Ford, who has followed Jesse's "career" since he was a young boy arranges it for himself to meet Jesse's gang. After some finagling, and hard feelings from the other members of his gang, Jesse James let Robert Ford tag along with them. Each shift closer between the two brings about an increasingly uneasy feeling for the audience. This feeling could be attributed to the title and the well-executed score. We know what will end up of James and Ford, so each awkward interaction between them is even more heightened. Nevertheless, the film feels like an invitation to a star struck stalkers fantasy than a real friendship of any kind. As we watch Jesse's days come to a close, and see Robert's hero worship take over his mind we truly see the downfall of one giant, and one little boy. Even though the film had some great technical work, other aspects of the film overshadowed the technical beauties. For instance, Pitt's performance came off cardboard. I didn't believe him for the legend he was supposed to be, even if it was set in James declining days. Casey Affleck's performance also wasn't right. He mastered the portion of his character that was to be feared and retracted, but the times that he was supposed to have acted with leadership didn't fit at all. Every gunshot scene in this film was tragically overdone. I subscribe to the notion that a good film tells more of a story with what is understood than with what is seen. I am sure that a gunshot wound to the head would lead to a great deal of bloodshed; I don't need to see it, once or 8 times. There are many great westerns, even modern day filmed westerns, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, isn't one of them.