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a classic western
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
by rick grant    rickgrant01@comcast.net
A Rated R 152 min

      Over the years, the myth of Jesse James became greater than the reality. Wild-west writers fictionalized the western outlaws, who were sometimes bitter ex-Confederate soldiers that engaged in criminal activities like train robbery and murder. Unquestionably, Jesse James was the most famous of the outlaws, who, along with his and the Ford brothers, rode into history as legends of the old west. Legends that stimulated the imaginations of the dime novel writers and, later, Hollywood screen writers.
      New Zealand born filmmaker Andrew Dominik has taken the accepted historical account of Jesse James’ last years and created a masterwork of the classic western. Dominik’s lumbering but methodical pacing and standing shots of the vast vistas of Missouri’s wilderness region are spectacular. In this cold foreboding region, Dominik moves his stellar cast with dialogue and character-driven scenes, depicting this band of vicious killers on their last waltz. Brad Pitt goes deep inside Jesse’s tortured soul, portraying him as a paranoid psychotic, who, in the end, couldn’t trust anyone. Like Stalin, the only way to be sure he was safe was to kill everyone close to him.
      Dominik’s script de-glorifies Jesse’s Robin Hood image and portrays the gang as a rabble of miscreants and lowlifes. Twenty year-old Robert Ford is portrayed with skillful acting talent by Casey Affleck as a wannabe outlaw who idolized Jesse. Robert was unmercifully teased by his brothers for being too sensitive and not getting their jokes. Jesse, amused by Robert, egged him on only to humiliate him in front of his brothers. Still, Robert was Jesse’s devoted groupie and tag-along helper. Jesse was the gang’s undisputed leader. He reigned by fear, launching unpredictably violent episodes. They were all scared of Jesse and had witnessed him kill people for trivial reasons.
      Sam Shepard plays Jesse’s older brother Frank, who wants to pull one last train robbery and retire. He dislikes Robert and thinks him a nuisance. Jesse uses Robert as a foil and the butt of his jokes.
      After his crime sprees, Jesse would return home to his wife (Mary-Louise Parker) and live a regular, albeit highly armed, domestic life. Jesse suffered from insomnia and a dreadful fear of being caught. Many members of his original gang had either been hanged or were serving long sentences in Federal prisons. Jesse knew that his days were numbered. There was a large price on his head and the person who took him out would be famous. So, Jesse couldn’t stay home long–maybe a couple of days before returning to life on the run. Posses and private bounty hunters were tracking him. He had chosen the life of an outlaw, now he was paying the price.
      Devotees of quality cinema will love this picture. Sure, it’s butt-numbingly long, but it is a classic western that will stand the test of time.

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