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

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Robert Ford flutters passionately and covetously around late 19th century outlaw and reserved hero of the Southern cause, Jesse James, in this visually breathtaking and emotionally unnerving film. Youngest of his brothers and leaden with insecurity, Bob fancies himself unwavering protege of a man whose chivalrous and mysterious reputation masks a deeper unease with humanity. The two weave in and out of contact over robbery and family feud, illuminating Bob's lust and Jesse's growing anxiety through gang rumor and increasingly awkward conversation, funneling into melancholy self-destruction. Bob's child-like infatuation for Jesse is teased and threatened by kin and gang member as the posse gallop back and forth across the snow-drifted Midwest, raiding to reestablish lost pride. His eyes grow shrill and frosty as a tattered self-esteem is nudged to the surface, raising the hair and corroding the nerves of his hero, who starts to retreat into a shell of paranoia. Bob and Jesse's emotional spiral is foreshadowed in cigar-lit, rocking-chair conversation and family get togethers with tense and glaring body language. Words exchanged dance around the clashing self-images of both men, growing a guardedness that ironically binds Bob tighter to Jesse's boot and shackles Jesse from shedding his stalker. As Bob's declining self-esteem unveils murderous intentions, Jesse confesses his reactive wretch and desperation in one of the films most gorgeous scenes, kneeling on a frozen lake and muttering under frosty breath (more to himself than Charley Ford) with pines and snow-capped mountains towering behind. Other characters fade from the drama, leaving Bob and his older brother Charley increasingly alone with Jesse, who begins to accept death, resisting perhaps only to bait the Fords to extinguish his inescapable pain. The three meet catharsis, accompanied by a beautifully depressing ballad, in a claustrophobic room where one last chance for transparency is forsaken as Jesse surrenders his life in solemn confidence and Bob coldly draws his gun, sure of reviving his self-esteem. The film progresses to reveal a truth, seeping from Jesse's formerly shy admirers, of equal sadness for his death and anger for his killer. To his contempt, Bob absorbs the cowardly self-image that Jesse kept so well hidden until death, along with the burden of barroom stares and stifling back luck, when his own killer raises a shotgun barrel. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a delicately woven fabric of superb acting, stunning cinematography, and sweet melancholic music. The film glitters with timeless emotion and humanity to entertain as well as give us a finer look into ourselves.

Very slow and 'elegiac', which kind of fits the pace of the times, but it's also a meaningless visual tone poem in some ways, rather like a latter-period Terrence Malick film. Looks beautiful, as you'd expect from Maestro Deakins, and the actors do a really solid job, but where, oh where is the script? I couldn't find one and I had to sit through nearly 3 hours of this mess in search of it.

I have read a lot about this movie before I watch. Acting of both Bradd Pitt and Ben Affleck is good, but movie does not kept the interest of movie watchers. I have to kept an eye on the clock to see how much it is remaining. I have a craving for this movie but all my dreams of relishing this movie is dashed. I don't understand why it is rated so high. Only the climax is bit interesting otherwise movie is dull.

This is a beautifully made film. From the score to the cinematography to the gentle but gradual pace of the film that somewhat reflects our perceptions of that period. It will definitely make you come back for seconds. The scene with the eponymous assassination is worth watching just on its own! I had never heard of the Andrew Dominik before but this certainly draws one's attention, (Director and Screenwrite!) Also i can't help shake the feeling that this movies is a tribute to Robert Ford ('there would be no eulogies for Bob'). I would also like to add that Sam Rockwell does not receive the credit he deserves (he) puts in a stellar performance alongside Casey Affleck. As for Brad Pitt, we see the early signs of his whatchamacallit southern accent of Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained fame.