The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford – 2007
Posted by Scott on 14 May 2008 at 01:13 am | Tagged as: Underrated Films
I’ve been writing a lot about 2007 movies for a reason. 2007 was a damn good year for film. In fact, it might have been the best year since 1999, a groundbreaking 365 days that included The Matrix, American Beauty, Fight Club, The Sixth Sense, Boys Don’t Cry, Being John Malkovich and Magnolia. WOW! What a list. But I digress, I’m supposed to be extolling 2007. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford may be guilty of a verbose title, but it is without question one of last year’s best films.
The story follows Jesse James (Brad Pitt) through his final years focusing on his odd relationship with Robert Ford (Casey Affleck), an ambitious young man who took part in The James Gang’s final heist. Ford grew up idolizing Jesse’s criminal exploits and believed a friendship with Jesse would lead to fame and fortune. Jesse, at first flattered by Ford’s fanaticism, soon grows weary of the obsessive behavior. Jesse would spend his post-crime life wandering Missouri in a constant state of paranoia fearing his inevitable capture or betrayal.
Jesse’s trust issues send him on a mission to eliminate anyone associated with the last robbery. That includes Robert Ford and his brother Charley (Sam Rockwell), who have devious plans of their own. Jesse sees through Robert’s innocent guise but does nothing to stop him. In the end, Jesse James welcomes his own death, tired of living a life on the run. For his part, Robert Ford achieves his desired stardom becoming one of the country’s most recognizable men. However, as time passes Ford’s heroic persona mutates into his true identity, that of a coward who gunned down a beloved American outlaw. The rest of Ford’s life would be one lived in shame.
Until this film Casey Affleck was always Ben’s little brother. Well, not anymore. His searing portrayal of Robert Ford earned him an Oscar nomination and permanent removal from Ben’s shadow. Great westerns are hard to find these days but writer/director Andrew Dominik paints a stark portrait of Missouri in the 1880s. Grim realism dominates a land where the code of criminals supplants the code of law. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford isn’t about elaborate gunfights or men with no names. It’s about the last days of a historic figure presented in a simple, yet effective manner.
The trailer for The Assassination of Jesse James:
Well said.