An elegaic, poetic and sorely underrated masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (7 March 2010)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a film for the ages. It's a film that breaks Hollywood convention, breaks film convention and simply astounds me. I find it one of, if not the, best film of the last five years and yet was criminally overlooked by the Oscars and by the public.
The films cinematography echoes Terrence Mallick, Roger Deakins masterfully encapsulates the times it's set. It oozes beauty yet has an underlying sense of mystery, myth and legend. Jesse James has perhaps one of the greatest train robberies ever committed to celluloid, with Brad Pitt brooding around the steam, moving in and out of the shadows, Colt in hand. The director, Andrew Dominik, clearly understands he is dealing with a character who has passed into American folk law and the sepia tint throughout reflects this, shots of rooms with blurred edges give the effect of Civil War photographs, as if we're looking at a film made in 1882.
The script is heavily influenced by the synonymous book upon which this film is based; with poetic narration littered throughout the two hours thirty three minutes running time. The third-person narration, becoming so rare in contemporary films, gives the effect of the audience observing the real goings on of Jesse James and Robert Ford. Delivered in melancholy tones by Hugh Ross it works beautifully, matching with the cinematography to create a seamless illusion for the audience.
The audience are also blessed with perhaps the best cast of modern times; Brad Pitt's brooding, enigmatic Jesse James is one for the ages and won him the prestigious Best Actor award in Venice. No such luck from the reluctant Acadamy who are keen to ignore all of Pitt's best turns (see Se7en) despite his increasing prowess. Portraying such a myth-like character was a risk for a man so associated with blockbusters and action-packed thrill-rides, Pitt can no longer hide behind his good looks and instead of shying away from this challenge he rises to it and surpassed all expectations. If Pitt is indeed the new Paul Newman then this surely is his Butch Cassidy, a film to finally get him recognised as not only a good actor, but a great one. Despite this the film is undoubtedly Casey Affleck's; his Robert Ford is sly, cowardly and arrogant. He admires and worships Jesse at the beginning, his trepidation at the first meeting is palpable and the tension at a certain dinner scene is eerie. The chemistry, or should it be un-chemistry?, between the two leads helps propel this film from great to masterpiece, you can sense the awkwardness between the two and understand Jesse's suspicions. Yet towards the end, thanks to Affleck, we pity the character and the shell of a man he as become. The supporting cast also does a stand-up job with Sam Rockwell playing the once-jovial Charley Ford with the brilliance we now expect from him.
This is not a film about Jesse James as much as it is a study of fame, infamy and the fickleness of the common public. The title makes you believe that James is the hero and Ford the villain but by the end a much different picture was painted. In traditional books and films there's a victim, a villain and a hero. The beauty of this film is you could argue each character as any of these three it depends upon your own interpretation of the films events, the final answer isn't given to us on a platter, we are left to make up our own minds. This bravery on such a risky film makes it evident of Dominik's courage and fearlessness. The film deserves a better reputation than it has, it deserved a better box-office run than it got and more so than that it deserves your time.