So Many Things You Can Say About This Film!

Rating: 9/10 (9 February 2008)

Do you notice how long many of the reviews are in here about this movie? That's because there is so much one could say. This is an unusual movie, especially for a modern-day-filmed western.
Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck are the "stars" of this movie but the biggest star to me was Roger Deakins, the man who photographed this film. Wow, this is beautiful! It's so stunning to look at in so many spots that there were many times I was more involved in the visuals than the story. In that sense, it reminded me of the marvelously-photographed films of Terrence Malick. Kudos to Andrew Dominik for a similar style directorial performance here.
Regarding the story, here's a warning to those who are expecting the normal western fare and want to see the usual amount of gun battles and related action scenes. This film is 2 hour and 40 minutes and there are not many "action" scenes. If you are hoping to see another "3:10 To Yuma" re-make, you will be very disappointed. This story is slow. It's a character study of Jesse James and the man who killed him, Robert Ford.
That said, I still found it a memorable film. The photography, the great acting and the uniqueness of the story were all good enough to keep me interested throughout. For once, I was glad to see James portrayed more realistically. Despite what you've seen on film in the past, this man was not a hero, folks. Sure he was a likable guy at times, and a nice father at times, too, but he was a thief and, much worse, a cold-blooded killer. You see that in this film.
I have to say I can't remember a film I've seen in recent years in which the two lead characters (James and R. Ford) were so strange and unpredictable. For that, I have to really compliment the work of Pitt and Affleck. They were amazing and kept me guessing throughout the movie. They played very complex people.
Another facet that I found unusual were the numerous scenes in which a person's eyes told the story better than any dialog could. The tension in this drama was almost unbearable in many instances. Except for "Once Upon A Time In The West," I can't recall a film with so many tense scenes with long pauses depicting shots of people's eyes relaying their either their fears or suspicions.
Pitt, as "Jesse James," does a fantastic job in this department. He made us go inside his James' brain, assuming we were knowing what he's thinking about Robert Ford, and wondering what he would say or do next. James is shown in this film to be a twisted and (justifiably) paranoid criminal who doesn't trust anyone. For example, he's constantly moving his family.
On the other side of the coin, you have the Ford brothers and other members of James' gang who are constantly terrified of their boss, knowing he could snap and shoot them any minute. The terrified looks in their eyes were, to me, frightening to watch. This movie is filled with scenes depicting jittery people. Affleck, as "Robert Ford," the man with the nervous smile, and stuttering-like speech, was one of the strangest characters I've seen on film. Sam Rockwell, as Ford's brother, "Charley," has a big role in this movie, too, and doesn't really get the billing he should. I thought he was right up there with Pitt and Affleck.
I might be in the minority with this opinion, but I found the best part of the film to be the last 20 minutes, depicting how America reacted to the killing of Jesse James and what happened to the Ford brothers. All that was fascinating to me.
Overall, once I realized this wasn't a "shoot-em-up" western, and just sat back and appreciated the storytelling, wonderful visuals, low-key narration, fabulous sets, scenery and acting....I ended up being very impressed. So, a key is to know what to expect before you see this film.