Modern fandom complexities & character studies, set in the Old West... have seldom looked so poetic!

Rating: 7/10 (29 August 2010)

The title says it all. This is the more unheard of "legends" of the man who both idolized and shot the infamous outlaw Jesse James. I'd be reluctant to call it a Western, because foremost, we get a male character study flexing many muscles and nuances, that seems to just happen to be set in the old west. Yes, there is gun-play but that's not what made the filmmakers get this ambitious drama off the ground, for sure. The modern complexity of idol fandom and fame coveting, (which is unnervingly reminiscent of such famous cases as the John Lennon & Ronald Reagan shootings) plus the film's psychological character interplay very much discloses this fact.
Told most elaborately and poetically, writer/director Australian Dominik has made sure it almost never gets too boring, though, as every scene is as artistically shot as a wall painting. The West has seldom looked both so rugged, flamboyant and beautiful as here, as those snow scenes will stay long on my retina! And if that doesn't do the trick, pitch-perfect performances are plenty to enjoy, with Affleck delivering a haunting and unforgettable portrait of Ford.
A note to the ones watching this who are having trouble with languid pace and atmosphere: stick with it, because those final 20 minutes is a masterful showcase of more trimmed, riveting storytelling underlining the story's double tragedy. Biggest flaw which holds back my higher rating: It IS overlong by at least half an hour and an already fine movie would have been great, if cut down.
7 out of 10 from Ozjeppe