The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

It’s been a long time since I first saw this movie. Back then, I hadn’t yet been exposed to all the best western movies and so I rated it three stars. But now I thought that this movie couldn’t have been so bad and so I’ve risked watching the 153 minutes again. At that point, I minded the overly lengthy watch time once again, but I enjoyed the Pitt vs Affleck acting performances so much more. I was also enjoying the movie’s atmosphere along with the story itself and the best thing about it was the music by Nick Cave who had a few cameos himself. This movie is very original. I get the differing opinions: either you like it a lot or not. Either you respect its originality or not. At first I just respected it, but now I have to say that as far as cinematography goes, I enjoyed some of the moments a whole lot as well. (07/13/2014)

A slow, but smoothly told story of fate, in which you know the end of all the characters the moment they are introduced at the beginning as a bunch of primitive rednecks hungry for money. Dominik's direction, coupled with Deakins' cinematography, has an almost hypnotic effect, and the film rides (thanks also to Nick Cave’s score) on a wave of feeling rather than shaking the colts damnably low. Pitt acts "only" by constantly pitying them and Affleck's slimy rat - you hate, you understand, and on and on. Either way, he’s the one who owns this film. It’s too bad the director isn't as good at creating relationships between the characters (briskness) as he is at atmosphere because then it would have been brilliant. This way it stayed just below the higher review scores. (02/02/2009)

An artistic western is a combination that I would consider an oxymoron more than anything else. This movie did not disprove that for me. The comparison to Terrence Malick is quite fitting, as the pace is similar. Yes, there's a lot hidden beneath the surface, and it's certainly a gem, as some say. I just feel that the creators wanted to make something out of the western genre that it isn't, so they didn't really make a western at all, but rather an artistic biography with subtext. It is simply impossible to talk about tension here. I don't understand Dominik's view of the world, and frankly, I have no desire to. I imagine that the original novel is more interesting. (03/25/2014)

I won’t even mention the title here, as half of my review would consist of its various word forms :D ... This poetic western has a very slow start and minimal shootouts, but the film makes up for it with its meticulous development of characters and their motivations. It beautifully plays with each shot (Roger Deakins's signature style is unmistakable), presenting the viewer with a visual gem of the genre. And, of course, besides everything else, there's the excellent Brad Pitt as James and the outstanding Casey Affleck as Ford. The younger Affleck brother delivers an acting tour de force, with every moment finely tuned during the intense dialogues between him and Pitt. I understand that such an artistically crafted Western isn’t for every mainstream viewer. I certainly didn’t mind the established style, as I got used to it, but I was a bit disappointed that there weren’t more action-packed sequences. However, for those who enjoy gradual tension building, I can wholeheartedly recommend it. I give it 81%. (08/22/2019)

American history and national myths feature the story of the famous outlaw Jesse James. Rather than being an artistic western, the film is more of an anti-western that consistently breaks the genre's stereotypes and is uncompromising in its rejection of western clichés. This is its main advantage, but paradoxically also its greatest weakness. Film fans often complain about clichés, but at the same time, they really like them. Andrew Dominik did not conceive his film as an adventure story, but rather as a slowly flowing biographical story of Jesse James. The problem is that the runtime is dragged out and the film as a whole is unremarkable, so when combined with melancholic music, it acts like a sedative. Those who start watching the film late at night hoping to be entertained have a decent chance of falling asleep. The film has several strengths, such as the cast, where a group of excellent actors come together, and the excellent camera work. However, the overall impression is strongly influenced by the lack of dynamic action and effects that would be able to energize viewers. Overall impression: 55%. (12/13/2009)