The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Andrew Dominik

Writers (WGA):

Andrew Dominik (screenplay)
Ron Hansen (novel)

Release Date:

10 October 2007 (France)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama | History | Western

Tagline:

Beyond the myth lies America's greatest betrayal.

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.

Plot Keywords:

Gang | Missouri | Pseudonym | Robbery | Train Robbery

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

L'assassinat de Jesse James par le lâche Robert Ford (Canada: French title)
The Assassination of Jesse James (USA) (short title)
El asesinato de Jesse James por el cobarde Robert Ford (Argentina) (Mexico) (Uruguay) [es]
Mordet på Jesse James av ynkryggen Robert Ford (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
Die Ermordung des Jesse James durch den Feigling Robert Ford (Germany) [de]
El asesinato de Jesse James (Venezuela) [es]
I dolofonia tou Jesse James apo ton deilo Robert Ford (Greece) [el]
Jesse James meggyilkolása, a tettes a gyáva Robert Ford (Hungary) [hu]
Jesse Jamesin salamurha pelkuri Robert Fordin toimesta (Finland) [fi]
Korkak Robert Ford'un Jesse James suikasti (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Kukavicko ubistvo Dzesija Dzejmsa od strane Roberta Forda (Serbia) [sr]
L'assassinat de Jesse James par le lâche Robert Ford (France) [fr]
L'assassinio di Jesse James per mano del codardo Robert Ford (Italy) [it]
O Assassínio De Jesse James Pelo Cobarde Robert Ford (Portugal) [pt]
O Assassinato de Jesse James pelo Covarde Robert Ford (Brazil) [pt]
Ubojstvo Jessea Jamesa od kukavice Roberta Forda (Croatia) [hr]
Zabójstwo Jessego Jamesa przez tchórzliwego Roberta Forda (Poland) [pl]

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong violence and brief sexual references.

Runtime:

160 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English | Danish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Taiwan:R-18 | Germany:12 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Japan:PG-12 | Sweden:15 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | UK:15 | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Alberta, Canada

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Making "James" was a long and arduous process. There was a well-publicized tug-of-war between director Andrew Dominik, who caught Hollywood's attention with indie title Chopper (2000) and Warners over the editing of the film. Warners' wasn't entirely in sync with the pacing of the movie, or the length. Dominik was thinking more like 'Terence Malick' in examining the relationship between the famous outlaw and his eventual assassin, Robert Ford, played by Casey Affleck. Warners was in favor of having at least a bit more action. Ultimately, Warners went with Dominik's version, even though Dominik didn't have final cut as part of his contract. Part of the reason was that Pitt, who produced the movie through his Plan B shingle, backed Dominik. At one point along the way, Pitt and exec producer Ridley Scott had put together their own cut. When it tested to only so-so results, they went back to Dominik's. The original cut of "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" was nearly four hours long. It was edited down to two hours and forty minutes, its current runtime, at the studio's request. However, it did play at least once at its original 4-hour length, most notably at the Venice Film Festival, where Brad Pitt picked up the Best Actor Award. After the viewing, critics at the festival called the film "majestic."

Goofs:

Continuity: When Wood Hite is shot, he falls to the floor with one leg straight, the other bent at the knee, one arm flat on the floor, the other hand resting on his stomach. When Bob Ford rises to see if Hite is dead, both Hite's legs are straight, flat on the floor, as are both arms.

Quotes:

[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...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Oprah Winfrey Show: And the Nominees Are..." (2008)

Soundtrack:

The Ballad of Jesse James

Casey Affleck's best work to date

Casey Affleck's has officially come into his own. Fantastic performance!

Brad Pitt's performance complex and stunning as usual. Brad does not shy away from the real roles and proves time and time again what a brilliant actor he is.

Roger Deakins shots are stunning, capturing the true beauty that lies within the Canadian rockies. The artistic shots through the old style glass is fantastic.

Score is very unorthodox yet amazingly effective.

The only downside to the film many say is the running time, but I admire that Andrew allowed for the performances of the actors to be the showcase. Many scenes with not a lot of background music, just the intense performances.