The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007)

[Antoine Doinel]

I rather enjoyed Cave's cameo and the audience I was with didn't actually seem to know who he was. It was a decent rendition of the song and his brief appearance was nice. The score overall was beautiful, and I agree, reminiscent of the style composed for The Proposition.

[redbill]

Saw this last night, and missed the first couple minutes (I hate going to the movies with slackers). I don't think I missed anything, but was wondering if there was any explanation about the narrator? I walked in when Bob was talking to Frank.

[Antoine Doinel]

There was no explanation of the narrator, but as the film was told in nearly a serial chapter format, the narrative device was very fitting to link passages of time.

[Jason]

I saw this last night and would have to say it was the most beautiful film I've seen this year. Best film I've seen right behind Fish Kill Flea. Pitt and especially Affleck give the best performances of their careers. It felt a little awkward for me when the movie didn't end with assassination, but looking back now, I wouldn't want to be without the info in those extra 15 minutes.

Another problem I had was Nick Cave's cameo as he walks through the bar singing "Jesse James." I'm familiar with many old-timey versions of the song and the way he sang the song was just completely off from anything I'm used to. I was too distracted by Nick Cave singing instead of a 1890's minstrel. All of that is forgiven though because of the wonderful score.

[miless]

what's interesting about the narration is that it is the same narrator for the audiobook version of the source material. Look up The Killing of Jesse James on iTunes and you'll find it. I actually might believe that they just cut out sections from the audio tape and pasted them into the movie.

[Antoine Doinel]

Very interesting interview with Andrew Dominik with some intriguing tidbits, such as the intial cut of the film was four and a half hours and that he was second unit director on The New World until he was fired for not being part of the director's guild.

[Roger_Thornhill]

How is Jesse James depicted in this film? A tragic figure? A blood-thirsty killer? A bit of both? I'm curious because he tends be depicted as a sort of Robin Hood of the Old South.

[Andre Jurieu]

How is Jesse James depicted in this film? A tragic figure? A blood-thirsty killer? A bit of both? I'm curious because he tends be depicted as a sort of Robin Hood of the Old South.

I would say a bit of column A and a bit of column B, but Dominik takes extensive measures to completely avoid the usual myth of Jesse James. In fact, he steers miles away from depicting Jesse as any kind of Robin Hood and I would say one of the central aims of the film is to undermine the idea that James was a criminal worthy of the automatic adulation and reverence that American mythology has granted him. If anything Jesse is kind of a rock-star in Dominik's interpretation.

[Antoine Doinel]

I would also add that Dominik seems to stress that as his fame grew, his insecurity and paranoia also increased in equal measure. He is certainly not made out to be any kind of hero.

It looks like Warner's is going to keep shitting on the film all the way through to the DVD release. DVDActive announced a Feb. 5th DVD release date. Of course, it looks like it's going to be a barebones release.

[miless]

It looks like Warner's is going to keep shitting on the film all the way through to the DVD release. DVDActive announced a Feb. 5th DVD release date. Of course, it looks like it's going to be a barebones release.

maybe after it wins best cinematography they'll slap on a "behind the scenes" doc (as the big studios probably employ doc crews to follow any of their films just in case it would come in handy for a DVD extra).

regardless, I'll pick this up. It was one of the few films this year to stick with me... it still haunts me. I need to see it again.

[Jeff]

DVDActive announced

I love the fact that the DVD cover art designer has copied and pasted "Tiny Brooding Casey Affleck in a Top Hat" from his place on the original poster and now has him popping out of the wheat field like he's on Hee Haw. I'll reiterate my desire that TBCAIATH be pasted on to all movie posters.

[domino harvey]

I had no idea Depp's Wonka was in this movie!

[a.khan]

DVDActive announced

I love the fact that the DVD cover art designer has copied and pasted "Tiny Brooding Casey Affleck in a Top Hat" from his place on the original poster and now has him popping out of the wheat field like he's on Hee Haw. I'll reiterate my desire that TBCAIATH be pasted on to all movie posters.

This has double-dip written all over it. They'll do a real cover for the SE, in -- let's take bets -- 3 months.

My favorite film of the year, after "I'm Not There."

[Antoine Doinel]

As much as I want to hope this is the sign of a double dip, Warner's has a pretty solid track record of ignoring films they don't like. Please see The Fountain DVD debacle. I'm not holding my breath of a SE of that to come along anytime soon.

The Nick Cave/Warren Ellis soundtrack will be released on the same day as the DVD (it's currently available digitally as well). Tracklist here.

[JonDambacher]

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is not likely to receive much attention this year. This film will only see the light of some film archaeologist's flashlight in another five to ten years. When the first few books of "Millenium Filmmaking" have started to get some dust on the understocked Borders bookshelves, we'll then start reading some in-depth essays and examinations of this concealed film.

"It's too long," people have said.
"Brad Pitt is just playing himself," they throw away like a piece of gum that's lost its flavor.

The film is the Catch-22 of celebrity. Once you've reached the top level you begin to question whether you really belong and begin wondering what light is going to appear at the end of the tunnel. With that comes fans. People who see you, hear about you, and finally want to be you. However if you can't really have what you desire, you begin to imitate it. Thus, starts the circle.

The film is the kind of period piece which follows in the grandiose shadows of something like "Sunset Blvd" or "Barry Lyndon." We find ourselves both inside the shoes of the opportunist however we also recognize the streets he walks all over. Our young men today, as they've always been, search for the man they've yet to meet. Though as we've seen, whether it's Joe Gillis, Barry Lyndon, or Robert Ford, you don't always like the result of what you've spent a long time searching for.

The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves. -- Oedipus Rex

I urge anyone to watch this film. Then see it again in another five years.

-- Jon Dambacher

[Jeff]

It looks like Warner's is going to keep shitting on the film all the way through to the DVD release. DVDActive announced a Feb. 5th DVD release date. Of course, it looks like it's going to be a barebones release.

The DVD is still featureless, but the HD and Blu-Ray discs will have a 30-minute making-of doc.

[Grand Illusion]

I'll probably buy the featureless DVD immediately and regret it later. This was my favorite flick of the year. It went by so fast, it wasn't until I checked the reviews that I realized it was even over 2 hours long.

[Floyd]

I just saw this film and really felt it to be terrific. At times Brad Pitt's Jesse James was truly a frightening personality. I found him to be much more of interest and more frightening & intimidating in comparison to Javier Bardem's silly character in No Country for Old Men. He feels much more human of course but Dominik also allows for an abundance of time where the viewer is completely uncomfortable with Pitt just sitting and observing everyone around him. In comparison to No Country with Bardem I just kept thinking about Christopher Lloyd from Who Framed Roger Rabbit during its entirety. I was hoping he'd sprout big eyeballs and drown someone in some oily muck.

The second half of Jesse James really transcends itself into a great film. Casey Affleck plays his role perfectly and there isn't too much of him which doesn't make you get annoyed with his whiny demeanor. It is unfortunate this film got lost into some oblivion while No Country has become a big deal. This is the 'western' people should have seen and lauded.

It also is beautiful to observe for most of the running time.

[Grand Illusion]

I just saw this film and really felt it to be terrific. At times Brad Pitt's Jesse James was truly a frightening personality. I found him to be much more of interest and more frightening & intimidating in comparison to Javier Bardem's silly character in No Country for Old Men. He feels much more human of course but Dominik also allows for an abundance of time where the viewer is completely uncomfortable with Pitt just sitting and observing everyone around him. In comparison to No Country with Bardem I just kept thinking about Christopher Lloyd from Who Framed Roger Rabbit during its entirety. I was hoping he'd sprout big eyeballs and drown someone in some oily muck.

It's not always fair to compare two films that try to achieve separate goals, but you hit the nail on the head.

[a.khan]

Speaking of comparisons:

It's nice to see another western hit Hollywoodland, and although I don't rate this effort anywhere near the caliber of 3:10 to Yuma it does have some redeeming features. I suspect that my major complaint is that it is overly long - spending an inordinate amount of camera time trying to read Pitt's non-existent facial cues. It tries hard to report factual details - of which I am sure most are very accurate, but it can't help promoting and slanting in expected directions. For straight historical value though it is educational for sure - maybe that's the best attribute.

Beaver.

[jbeall]

I thought it was beautifully shot, but for me the film was just alright. The narrative's a bit too novelistic (esp. with the voiceover) and undisciplined, and I thought that while the film pays more than lip-service to Jesse's flaws, it still falls into the trap of mythologizing him, especially when it implies that his assassination was actually a suicide--Jesse was simply too badass to be killed by anybody but his own demons!--and his 'paranoia' is actually more of a Spidey-sense, coming across as completely justified because those he suspects are indeed willing to turn him in.

It just seemed that this film didn't know what it wanted to be: a homage to Malick, a de-mythologizing of J.J., a re-mythologizing of J.J., an examination of Robert Ford and his motives, a period piece, etc. I appreciate Dominik's ambition, but imho the execution thereof falls short.

[Nothing]

Um - exquise me. Gary Touze's take on The Searchers is essential to understanding his take on the western in general - and thus to understanding his comparison between Jesse James and 3:10 to Yuma as highlighted in bold by a.khan above. I wasn't even offering an opinion - simply offering a pertinent fact (unlike the frequent comments about, say, Armond White that abound on this board). My post gets deleted why exactly?

[Jeff]

Um - exquise me. Gary Touze's take on The Searchers is essential to understanding his take on the western in general - and thus to understanding his comparison between Jesse James and 3:10 to Yuma as highlighted in bold by a.khan above. I wasn't even offering an opinion - simply offering a pertinent fact (unlike the frequent comments about, say, Armond White that abound on this board). My post gets deleted why exactly?

I deleted a block of posts which had degenerated into yet another discussion of Y.E.F., Gary, which one was dumber, and what Beaver is and is not good for. There are plenty of other places to carry on this discussion. This thread is about The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Moving on...

[geoffcowgill]

Another problem I had was Nick Cave's cameo as he walks through the bar singing "Jesse James." I'm familiar with many old-timey versions of the song and the way he sang the song was just completely off from anything I'm used to. I was too distracted by Nick Cave singing instead of a 1890's minstrel. All of that is forgiven though because of the wonderful score.

I agree with this. I like Cave quite a bit (and the score is quite good), but his performance is not 'old-timey'; in fact, it sounds quite modern, as if it were a demo from Murder Ballads, or something. That scene in the bar pulled me right out of what had up until that time felt like an intensely authentic evocation of time and place throughout the movie. I did feel that the movie recovered (the scenes in the theatre later on were particularly well-realized, I thought).

I was also taken aback by the casting of James Carville as the governor. To have a political insider play this role is not in itself a bad idea, but I for one could not take his scenes seriously, and they are particularly grave ones, because I kept expecting him to grin and cackle and for his monstrous wife to show up and roll her eyes.

[klee13]

I watched this on DVD the other night, and I have to say I was a little disappointed. It's too bad, because I was pretty excited about it at one time. I had wanted to see it during its theatrical run, but never really got around to it mostly because of other movies that were opening around the same time.
The length part about it didn't even really bother me that much. I am perfectly willing to see a lengthy movie if I am engaged by the story. I also do not think that Brad Pitt was just "playing himself". I do however think he overacted in a role that didn't really require it, unlike say, 12 Monkeys. For whatever reason I wasn't really that hot on the photography either, which is surprising because I love the majority of Roger Deakins' work. For one thing, I was really irritated by that blurring effect they used in most of the narrative exposition shots. But other then that, I guess I was mostly ambivalent towards the cinematography because I didn't care that much about the characters or the story. Also, I was more then a little bothered by the narration in the film. I felt like it was relied on way to heavily for exposition early on in the film, and it reeked a little of the screenwriter having trouble adapting a book to the screen.
I admit that I know very little about the Jessie James-Bob Ford story. I have not seen any of the earlier films on the subject, so I was not particularly interested in the film's "different" take on the Jessie James story. Perhaps if I knew more about it, I might have liked the movie more. I did not by any means hate it, but I was disappointed because of all the good press it was getting and all of the best of 2007 lists it was on.