I'm starting off my film reviews of "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." It is in my opinion that this movie was highly underrated. A friend of mine from school had recommended it highly as we had started watching "Gone Baby Gone" as that movie starred Casey Affleck as well.
I've read some reviews by several journalists and if it wasn't being praised the main criticism against it was that it was too long and too slow. The movie stands at 160 minutes long and it makes the most out of every one of them. I'm not a big western film fan but will never shy away from one that peaks my interest.
I would say this movie is not like many westerns out there. From the moment it begins you get a sense of what's ahead of you. Hugh Ross is the first voice we hear as he does the narration of the history of different points in the film. We get a glimpse of the life of Jesse James and how he had to isolate many things of his own self to his family and those around him. The music sets the tone perfectly. After the intro we meet Robert Ford.
Now I was not knowledgeable on the history of this story and I came in with with prejudice instantly against him. The title gives reason to do so and you have the feeling already on how you can't trust him. His first impression is someone who is weak and star struck when confronting the James' brothers for the first time. He fancies himself as someone destined for greater things and should be promoting among the "ranks" within the gang. Casey performs this aspect of Ford very well. We meet the other main gang members and the different aspects of their personality. They take part in the Blue Cut train robbery and move on from there. Sam Shepard plays the role of Frank James in a way I hadn't seen it. I had always assumed him and Jesse had a much more working relationship than the distanced one presented. For the short time Sam is one screen he gives this portrayal great depth.
Now however small their role was in the movie, the fellow gang members all displayed a consistent attitude whenever they were around Jesse. They knew they could joke around but you can sense a fear in them should they make a wrong move or say something they would regret. Many are given reason to show more fear than anything else even when they haven't been accused of anything. The scene with Jesse and Ed Miller comes quick to mind. From the second Ed saw him coming to his house he is terrified of his presence and can't collect himself enough to look Jesse in the eyes for too long.
However, the basis of the movie revolves around Robert Ford making his way into the gang and closer to Jesse. Since he was a boy he collected everything he could on the James' brothers and made them his personal idols. After meeting them, he realized respect isn't something that will come overnight. Even when Bob is made into a workhorse for Jesse his still looks up to him and studies his every movement. After he is sent away though, he gets caught up in a situation with Wood Hite, a cousin of Jesse's, and kills him before he can kill a fellow gang member. This becomes a cause of major concern for if Jesse were to find out, he would find Bob and Dick (the man Wood was going to kill) and Bob's brother Charley and kill them. Dick did reveal that if Jesse ever caught wind of anyone even thinking about turning on him and causing him to question their loyalty, he would kill them without thinking twice. Killing a family member would no doubt warrant the same punishment.
One actor who is caught in the middle of all this is Bob's big brother Charley. Played by Sam Rockwell, another under appreciated actor, he avoided the Wood Hite murder and never attempted to betray Jesse but somehow got caught in the midst of the drama that led to Jesse's assassination.
Keeping Bob and Charley separated but at his side, Jesse now has to deal with them. This is where all the events now lead up to. Bob and Charley and terrified of Jesse and one morning there is a headline in the paper about the arrest and confession of Dick Liddel and would no doubt prove that Bob and Charley were there when Wood Hite was murdered. While Bob and Charley are eating breakfast with Jesse and his family, Jesse reads this article instantly Bob knows what's coming. He and Charley move into the living room and Jesse comes in and tries to ward off any notion that he will kill them.
This scene alone makes the movie. Jesse is staring out the window looking at his daughter and we hear her sing as she is out sitting in the lawn. Bob is in a chair and Charley is in the doorway trying as hard as they can to mask their fear and seem casual to all that is going on. Jesse won't kill them in front of his family and again trying to keep the situation normal, removes his guns and lays them on a chair. It's almost as though he has found some inner peace seeing his daughter on the lawn and turns and looks at a picture on the wall claiming it has dust on it. Bob no sees this as the only chance to kill Jesse and with some hesitation shoots Jesse in the back of the head.
The film does not end here. We now see how Bob had to deal with the consequences of his action. We first see the pride he held after doing it. It went as far as to reenactments of the event. Charley had become so overcome with grief that he committed suicide after playing the role of Jesse in these shows. Life does not bode well for Bob after all this. We see the pride turn to slight remorse as he shows signs of missing all the people that have died. Being with Dorothy Evans only does so much. He has to deal with the remorse as well as being branded a coward by the general public. Songs are written to condemn him and praise Jesse. His anger and grief are held within but let out in short bursts. On the day of his murder, we almost get a sense that he knew it would happen and had to live out those years after the assassination not sure of when it would be.
This film leaves the question of who is the real bad guy in this story. The narrator himself says Jesse felt no remorse for the murders he committed. Was Robert Ford really a coward? This is left up to the viewer to decide.
As for the film itself, the cinematography was amazing. Each shot seemed as though it was carefully planned out. The acting was superior. Each actor, no matter what size their part, seemed to give forth a lot of effort in giving each character a distinctiveness that made it believable. I look forward to seeing Casey Affleck in more movies if he even gives a fraction of the effort he did for this movie.
Word of caution: This movie is just short of three hours long and is much better if there is not interruption from start to finish. The violence is pretty low key. This is not an action movie but is a drama. The focus is on the story and the development and not so much on the James' gang exploits.
