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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
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Overview
Plot:
Robert Ford, who's idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the reforming gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader. full summary | full synopsis (warning! may contain spoilers)Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 19 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(18 articles)
'There Will Be Blood' Tops Critics Awards (From WENN. 7 January 2008)
National Society of Film Critics Pick 'There Will Be Blood' (From WENN. 4 January 2008)
User Comments:
Hero Worship Turns Sour moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Brad Pitt | ... | Jesse James | |
| Mary-Louise Parker | ... | Zee James | |
| Brooklynn Proulx | ... | Mary James | |
| Dustin Bollinger | ... | Tim James | |
| Casey Affleck | ... | Robert Ford | |
| Sam Rockwell | ... | Charley Ford | |
| Jeremy Renner | ... | Wood Hite | |
| Sam Shepard | ... | Frank James | |
| Garret Dillahunt | ... | Ed Miller | |
| Paul Schneider | ... | Dick Liddil | |
| Joel McNichol | ... | Express Messenger | |
| James Defelice | ... | Baggagemaster (as James DeFelice) | |
| J.C. Roberts | ... | Engineer | |
| Darrell Orydzuk | ... | Ukranian Train Passenger | |
| Jonathan Erich Drachenberg | ... | Young Train Passenger |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for some strong violence and brief sexual references.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
160 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
Taiwan:R-18 | Germany:12 | Finland:K-15 | Brazil:14 | Australia:MA | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:NC-16 | Japan:PG-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Canada:14A | USA:R | Netherlands:16 | Ireland:15A | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Argentina:13MOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
When Jesse goes looking for Jim Cummings he introduces himself as "Dick Turpin". Dick Turpin was a legendary English rogue and famous historical highwayman romanticized in English ballads and popular theatre of the 18th and 19th century. moreGoofs:
Continuity: Towards the end of the film when Robert Ford shoots and throws the gun on the floor, the gun disappears when Robert Ford leaves. moreQuotes:
[first lines]Narrator: He was growing into middle age, and was living then in a bungalow on Woodland Avenue. He installed himself in a rocking chair and smoked a cigar down in the evenings as his wife wiped her pink hands on an apron and reported happily on their two children...
more
Soundtrack:
Amazing Grace moreFAQ
Why was Sam Shepard cast as the 38-year-old Frank James?What were Robert Ford's "right words"?
Why was it post-poned for so long?
more
more
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Though Jesse James through the newspaper accounts of his exploits and through the dime novels of the day was already a legend, his immortality was sealed on April 3, 1882 by the manner of his death. The lengthy title of the film tells all or at least the official version of the story.
But was that accepted version the real story? For the first time the Ford brothers, Robert and Charley, get their due. As played by Casey Affleck, Robert Ford was a most complex character indeed. Ford is shown for what he was, a moonstruck kid who was brought up on those dime novels and idolized the legendary bandit. The fact that Charley was already riding with the James gang got him into the group.
After the last job the James gang pulled and the only Ford was ever in on, the Fords kind of attached themselves to Jesse James. Of course the idol is no hero. Brad Pitt plays a most unheroic Jesse.
Hints of Pitt's interpretation of Jesse's character are found in the classic portrayal of Jesse James by Tyrone Power. Remember when the laconic Henry Fonda as Frank James dresses Jesse down, tells him he's getting mean, meaner every day even with some of his own gang members? Power was showing signs of it, but we see Pitt as Jesse do some really brutal and cruel things. At the same time he's a loving husband to Mary Louise Parker and doting father to his two children.
As good as Pitt is I think the acting honors go to Casey Affleck. His gradual disillusion with his idol is really something to see on the screen. He becomes really scared of Pitt for reasons I won't reveal, but were definitely sufficient to want him to get Pitt.
We also get to see the Fords sorry aftermath. Things did not go so well for them. Bob Ford did not quite get the acclaim he would have liked as Jesse James became bigger after death than in life.
Frank James as played briefly in the beginning is an odd peripheral character in this film. The James brothers did separate some months before Jesse's death. Frank is played by Sam Shepard who has an encounter with young Bob Ford at the beginning of the film and announces to one and all, the kid creeps him out. But Jesse likes having the kid follow him around like a puppy dog to his ultimate regret.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a very good western and we sure don't see too many of them in these times. It's shot in an unusual color, almost like one of those sepia-tone films that were in vogue for a brief spell. The location shooting was done in western Canada and looks a whole lot more like Missouri then than Missouri does now.