An absolute must-see for fans of the America's longest-standing iconic figure

Rating: 8/10 (17 October 2007)

Andrew Dominik's 'Jesse James' is a picture of grand scales and grave tales that is as intoxicating as it is disquieting, and as tranquil as it is beautiful. Dominik's scrupulous study of the two title characters never digresses throughout the film's lengthy showcase and permeates the grounded minds and hearts of its viewers, whose once sturdy estimation of Jesse James is demolished in light of the classic outlaw's truest depiction.
The explicit detail of Hansen's novel is evident in each scene of 'James' and is transmitted sinuously by Dominik, leaving little difference between the original text and its ensuing screenplay  which unfolds into an exercise on photographed literature that skips from scene to scene poetically and fluidly. In fact, Jesse James is one of the few films I've ever seen in which the dialogue is so cleanly delivered (whether it's in the first person or narrated in the third person) that if one were to close their eyes, they could just as easily visualize the happenings of the film as they could if they were watching it. Yet, the transposed script by Andrew Dominik could undoubtedly have fallen to failure had it not been for his outstanding cast. Fortunately, the cast succeeded, and did so by following the lead of its stars, Pitt and Affleck, who both bid phenomenal performances.
Brad Pitt's portrayal of the Missouri bandit will corrupt every molecule of its onlookers through simple, yet inimitable glares and gestures that indicate the brutality of James that rested behind his sunken blue eyes and charming guise. The famed persona could have been offered to no one else, for Pitt becomes every glitch of James, from his ticks to his truths to the long-dismissed turmoil that had pitted itself deep within his soul.
Additionally, Casey Affleck, whose depiction of the young, admiring, obsessive Robert Ford is tremendous, conquers the challenge of displaying the most notable hero anti-hero in American history. Affleck's Ford character speaks words that indicate admiration and wonder, yet his body glimmers of dissolved self-assurance. As the film progresses, we see Ford's approving eyes grow dark with disdain for the story's main character, as he approaches the unsettling disposition that gives the film (and, previously, Hansen's book) its gruesome title.
In addition to the stellar supporting cast (which includes Sam Rockwell, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeremy Renner, and Sam Shepard as Jesse's older brother, Frank), Dominik sets a suitable pace, while also instituting large-scale tension, most apparent in the film's two climactic scenes (the train robbery towards the film's beginning and the assassination, which comes near the film's conclusion). However, the tension in both of these scenes (and for the duration of the picture) is catapulted by Nick Cave's truly haunting score, which is the very best of the year and corresponds impeccably with the desolate scenery and grabbing visuals of Dominik's absorbing motion picture. Directed with tact and tone, 'The Assassination of Jesse James' is an absolute must-see for fans of movies and of the timeless legend of Jesse James, America's longest-standing iconic figure.