The untimely death of coward

Rating: 9/10 (20 March 2015)

I am, to be honest, technically illiterate in the art of film. I have no real knowledge of blocking or mise-en-scene, I couldn't write a screenplay to save myself and I am a poor actor at the best of times. Despite this, I find myself fascinated by film. The medium is one that captures the contemporary imaginative landscape like no other, whether it be Breaking Bad or Toy Story 3.
Despite having seen this film 8 years too late, I can honestly say I cannot recall a film that demanded my attention as assuredly as this. It is certainly a slow film. It does not grab your attention through aural assault nor does it manipulate you or demand emotional investment. What it does do is grab your attention through it's sheer command of the medium. Whether it be Roger Deakin's breathtaking cinematography, Nick Cave's mesmerising score (composed without even a frame to reference) or Brad Pitt's zeitgeist-defying performance, this is a film that by it's very existence defies expectation. If you enjoy artists at the peak of their powers, Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a film you MUST see.