The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

I finally unwrapped the plastic from Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and popped it in the DVD player last night.  It left me somewhat cold and uninvolved.  As I write this I am still struggling to figure out why.

First of all, it is not the subject matter that is off-putting.  The legend of Jesse James and his death at the hands of Robert Ford is the stuff of American mythology, a mythology based on fact (though not usually factually represented by Hollywood movies).  The Assassination of Jesse James is probably the most historically accurate film based on the lives of these two characters.  The film looks as if modern film technology were somehow magically transported back in time to capture the look and feel of the era.


Second, it is not the not the look of the film.  In fact, it is probably one of the most beautiful looking films I have ever seen, with its flawless time-lapse photography of clouds and its sepia-toned images.


Third, it is most definitely not the acting.  Although Sam Rockwell, to me, remains one of the great unheralded actors and his performance here is top notch as Charley Ford, Both Brad Pitt as Jesse James, and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford truly embody their characters making the viewer forget that they are watching actors instead of the real historical figures.


Last, it is not the length and pacing of the film.  While 160 minutes is a long running time for a film, and the pace is very slow, it does seem appropriate for the funeral-like atmosphere as these two characters inevitably head toward their final fates.  By the way, since my favorite film is 2001: A Space Odyssey, I am no stranger to slow, atmospheric films and do not necessarily find it off-putting.


Ultimately, if I had to hazard a guess as to what the film's problem was (for me at least since many other intelligent people find this film fascinating), I would say that the film does not know who the protagonist truly is.  It seems to want to place both Jesse James and Robert Ford at the center of the narrative.  To me, this explains how the last twenty or so minutes of the film were more involving than the previous 140 minutes.  Once Jesse James is killed, the focus is solely on Robert Ford.  I would argue that is where it belonged right from the beginning.


All-in-all, not bad. I would give it a VC ranking of 6/10.

1: Even Mystery Science Theater 3000 cannot save this film!!! 

2: Only watch if it is on MST3K.

3: Why did you watch this film?

4: Mediocre, but not a bad film.

5: Average film.

6: Good film.

7: Excellent film.

8: Why don't you own this film?

9: You don't have this film (there must be some good reason, right)!?!

10: I wouldn't be caught dead without this film!!!