The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

9/6/2014

Perfection. I think I will just come right out and say it from the off, this is a masterpiece, a truly spell binding, mesmerising tour de force that seeps class from every pore. I have often found myself cringing and turning my back on those who use in film debate the tired old defence of "it's not for everyone", but here I find I have no choice because this picture is purely for those enamoured with poetic beauty and precision film making at its highest. Those in search of an all action gun toting western need not apply, in fact those merely after popcorn fodder to while away an evening viewing should steer well clear. Andrew Dominik's second directorial effort is a character and dialogue driven piece of work, its thematic heart swirling with intelligence and elegiac beauty. The sto

8/2/2026

***The last seven months in the life of Jesse James*** Brad Pitt stars as the famous outlaw in this chronicling that begins with the Blue Cut Train Robbery that took place in Missouri on September 7, 1881. Casey Affleck co-stars as Robert Ford, a 20yo member of Jesse's gang, who kills James for the reward, but also because he and his brother, Charles (Sam Rockwell), feared for their lives. The final 25 minutes detail the Ford brothers’ lives over the course of the next decade after James' execution on April 3, 1882. Paul Schneider, Garret Dillahunt, Jeremy Renner, Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker, Kailin See and Zooey Deschanel have notable support roles. It’s a funereal, realistic Western consisting of long dramatic sequences spiced with flashes of violence. Although critically prais