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

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:

Missouri | Gang | Robbery | Coward | Bank

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:

In the saloon scene, the "minstrel" was singing a memorial to Jesse James. The lyrics to that "song" no one person ever claimed to have written. The poem that was developed from the written lyrics of this song became "The Ballad of Jesse James".

Goofs:

Continuity: After chopping off the heads of two snakes wrapped around Brad Pitt's arm, they are alive again in the next shot, the shot obviously placed out of order.

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 "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-09-22)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Amazing Grace

Great but hard to sell...

If you have watched the trailer and know this movie is two hours and forty minutes long you know what you are getting into and should not be disappointed. This movie delivers on every level of film making, be it cinematography, acting, or writing. Casey Affleck delivers a fantastic performance in how he portrays Robert Ford as the bright eyed fawning kid in a way so sincere it makes the audience uncomfortable even when it shouldn't. Brad Pitt underplays his part as Jesse James hitting all the right notes while never saying much. Exactly the way one would expect an outlaw to act when they have everything in the world to hide. I can't say the movie didn't FEEL two hours and forty minutes long but I never wanted it to end sooner than it did. I guess I just enjoyed the time I got to spend watching these characters for the full running time.

I loved this movie. Unfortunately, a long western without action is something seemingly impossible to sell to the public these days. It would be to the advantage of the studio to sell this like The English Patient was sold 10 years ago. Just make people feel like ignorant idiots if they don't like it! As much as it pains me to say it, I think most people don't care enough to bother seeing what makes this movie so great. The only other option to make this a success is to fool them into THINKING they love the movie. I'm really curious how many folks out there that like the movie agree with me here.