Movie Review: The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

The Assassination of Jesse James is not for everyone. It is long, slow paced, and contains very little action. That being said, the movie was excellent - truly Oscar-worthy. Assassination is an historical piece, a character study, a mediation on fame and infamy, and a look at America's celebrity obsession - particularly with regards to "bad" people. The story of Jesse James' celebrity status and mythic tales of heroism almost directly contradict the real man's violent, casual brutality.

The film neither idolizes the historical people it depicts nor demonizes them, instead portraying them as complex three dimensional human beings. Brad Pitt turns in his best role since Tyler Durden in Fight Club, portraying a Jesse James who is charismatic, mesmerizing, and garrulous, but also paranoid, brutal, and prone to fits of melancholy. Jesse James is a loving husband and father who commits robberies and murders people, even shooting a friend he suspects of betrayal in the back. Casey Affleck's career-making turn as 20 year-old Bob Ford is at first uncomfortably smitten with hero worship for the older James, collecting dime novels about the outlaw's exploits, and trying hard to ingratiate himself in the gang. As the story progresses, James' casual meanness towards Ford disillusions the young man, leading the inexorably to the titular climax.