A heartbreaking study of hero worship and it's consequences

Rating: 10/10 (31 May 2008)

It's been a long time since a film brought tears to my eyes, not just for the emotional finish (which it has), but rather for the sheer joy of watching a true work of art. From the first frame to the last, I was spellbound by the sheer beauty of this study of two men, one a sociopath outlaw, the other a naive young man who worships him.
Under the sure hand of director Andrew Dominck, the film takes it's time to tell it's story and this may be a problem for those who like fast cuts (I'd be surprised if the release on DVD contains more that a thousand shots). It is best to just surrender yourself to the film and be taken into it's beautifully photographed world.
The music is haunting and deserved a nomination and if awards were handed out for voice overs and narration this would be the winner.
The acting is top notch, with Brad Pitt as Jesse James notching a career high, in a performance that is both poetic and frighteningly cold. But it's Casey Affleck to whom the film belongs to. He may have been a best supporting actor in the eyes of the Academy Awards but it's really a best actor performance. Where other films have gotten it wrong in the depiction of Robert Ford is that they have made him a cartoon, while here we have a human being with all the failings and yearnings of someone who gets what he wants only to have it all fall apart. It is for this reason that the ending is, without giving anything away, emotionally wrenching.
In years to come it is this very film that will stand out as the best film released in 2007. I look forward to the day it will be given the Criterion treatment on DVD.