The Assassination of Jesse James (2007)
Jul 19, 2016 18:42:31 GMT -5
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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Jul 19, 2016 18:42:31 GMT -5
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Dir. Andrew Dominik
Premiered September 21, 2007
Nations have a weird habit of romanticizing the savage past, even when there are people around who still remember the truth. There is perhaps no better example of this than Jesse James, a late-19th century outlaw/terrorist who was feared and hated right until he died.
The Assassination of Jesse James follows the story of Robert Ford (Casey Affleck), an ardent, near obsessive fan of Jesse who joins the James gang with his brother, only for the eldest of the group (Sam Shepard) to declare that it’s time to give up the life of an outlaw. As the gang disintegrates, Jesse’s increasing outbursts and loosening grip on reality becomes too much even for Ford, who takes refuge as an inside man for the state of Missouri and kills James in cold blood.
At first, Ford is a hero, and spends the next year recreating the assassination on the Broadway stage. However, as the terror of of the James gang fades into memory, public opinion gradually and mysteriously turns Jesse into a folk icon, and Ford into a wanton murderer. Finding himself in constant danger from the drunken mob, Ford retreats from public life.
The Assassination of Jesse James thus highlights a crucial and overlooked element of life: that death is part of what defines us as individuals, and that it is something over which we have the least control. James is endlessly self-mythologizing. Much like another cinematic “outlaw” from a 2007 film, the Zodiac killer, James can only speak of himself through the filter of popular media, and indulges Ford’s borderline-infatuation to the point of self-destruction. It is only fitting then that, Caesar like, his untimely and violent death makes him immortal.
In a year full of incredible cinema, and one chock full of westerns, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is nevertheless a highlight. The cinematography and locations bring new life into the past, while simultaneously making it feel ancient, crusted like a ghost town. The pacing is similarly mythic. You can feel the slowness, yet welcome it as you might in a Werner Herzog film.
The only problem is that while the James Gang’s escalating dysfunction is given two full hours of screen time, Ford’s eventual fate gets only 45 minutes. It’s pretty clear what happened: this was meant to be a film in two parts, with the titular assassination as the midpoint. Naturally, the “directors cut” of the film has become something of a cinematic white whale; no such cut was ever actually produced, but it’s clear what it would entail and director Andrew Dominik has repeatedly teased the possibility of releasing one.
Nevertheless, it’s a testament to the power of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford that, even in this compromised form, it manages to be a classic for the ages. In any other year, it could have been the best movie. Here, it has to settle for the top ten.
Next Time: Good Luck Chuck
Dir. Andrew Dominik
Premiered September 21, 2007
Nations have a weird habit of romanticizing the savage past, even when there are people around who still remember the truth. There is perhaps no better example of this than Jesse James, a late-19th century outlaw/terrorist who was feared and hated right until he died.
The Assassination of Jesse James follows the story of Robert Ford (Casey Affleck), an ardent, near obsessive fan of Jesse who joins the James gang with his brother, only for the eldest of the group (Sam Shepard) to declare that it’s time to give up the life of an outlaw. As the gang disintegrates, Jesse’s increasing outbursts and loosening grip on reality becomes too much even for Ford, who takes refuge as an inside man for the state of Missouri and kills James in cold blood.
At first, Ford is a hero, and spends the next year recreating the assassination on the Broadway stage. However, as the terror of of the James gang fades into memory, public opinion gradually and mysteriously turns Jesse into a folk icon, and Ford into a wanton murderer. Finding himself in constant danger from the drunken mob, Ford retreats from public life.
The Assassination of Jesse James thus highlights a crucial and overlooked element of life: that death is part of what defines us as individuals, and that it is something over which we have the least control. James is endlessly self-mythologizing. Much like another cinematic “outlaw” from a 2007 film, the Zodiac killer, James can only speak of himself through the filter of popular media, and indulges Ford’s borderline-infatuation to the point of self-destruction. It is only fitting then that, Caesar like, his untimely and violent death makes him immortal.
In a year full of incredible cinema, and one chock full of westerns, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is nevertheless a highlight. The cinematography and locations bring new life into the past, while simultaneously making it feel ancient, crusted like a ghost town. The pacing is similarly mythic. You can feel the slowness, yet welcome it as you might in a Werner Herzog film.
The only problem is that while the James Gang’s escalating dysfunction is given two full hours of screen time, Ford’s eventual fate gets only 45 minutes. It’s pretty clear what happened: this was meant to be a film in two parts, with the titular assassination as the midpoint. Naturally, the “directors cut” of the film has become something of a cinematic white whale; no such cut was ever actually produced, but it’s clear what it would entail and director Andrew Dominik has repeatedly teased the possibility of releasing one.
Nevertheless, it’s a testament to the power of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford that, even in this compromised form, it manages to be a classic for the ages. In any other year, it could have been the best movie. Here, it has to settle for the top ten.
Next Time: Good Luck Chuck
