Ready to call it a career, Frank James (Sam Shepard – Out of the Furnace, The Right Stuff) promises his brother Jesse (Brad Pitt – Legends of the Fall, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) one last train heist with the notorious James Gang. Then, Frank will drift off into the sunset and live out the rest of his life quietly. But what will happen to Jesse? Well, he will be assassinated by the coward Robert Ford. The film’s title gives the plot away unless somehow we are talking about the assassination metaphorically. We are not. So what keeps director Andrew Dominik’s (Blonde, Killing Them Softly) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford so alluring despite its nearly three-hour runtime?
Robert Ford (Casey Affleck – Manchester By the Sea, Light of My Life) is the coward who will assassinate Jesse before the film’s end. What we don’t know is when. Given that Pitt is portraying James, we can assume it won’t be in the first act. While James could be assassinated early, would an audience be interested in the story of a coward for the next two hours? Pitt and Ford share the screen time equally. However, their overlapping scenes are far fewer than expected for a film that, essentially, is a character study of two polar-opposite characters and the fate that will forever tie them together.
Before we get there, let’s briefly examine the other main players. Led by Jesse and Frank, the version of the notorious James Gang that we meet in 1881 Missouri is comprised of their cousin, Wood HIte (Jeremy Renner – Kill the Messenger, The Town), drifter Dick Liddil Paul Schneider (All the Real Girls, Lars and the Real Girl), who talks a big game and exudes an enormous sense of false confidence, and Robert’s older, wiser brother, Charley (Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Moon).
The James Brothers roamed the Midwest, becoming famous during the American Civil War. As with many old tales, there can be a blurred line between fact and fiction, between myths and truths. What is certain is that the brothers were committed federates who soon joined various groups that participated in guerrilla warfare. In particular, they robbed trains. It has been reported that Jesse James has killed as many as seventeen people over the years. While many view Jesse as an evil man, some characterize him similarly to Robin Hood, taking from the haves to give to the have-nots. With an actor of Pitt’s pedigree and reputation in 2007, unless there was a deliberate intent to make him an unlikely character, Jesse would be a character we would care about and root for. And so it was in our story.
Likewise, Affleck’s portrayal of Robert evokes a sense of creepiness from the moment we meet him. In the middle of a dense forest, in the middle of Missouri, our first glimpse of Robert is during an interaction with Frank. We see him first sneak up on the elder, more grounded James brother before working an angle with him to get into the gang. While innocent, Robert is initially unaware of cues to let the conversation simmer or when to shut up and walk away. From the onset, we are keen that something isn’t quite right with Robert, though Affleck does a terrific job of making that a mystery. Affleck earned a Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar nomination (the film also received a nomination for Best Achievement in Cinematography).
With Frank having left the gang, Jesse is now the singular leader. Jesse and Robert develop a common curiosity in each other. Robert might know more about Jesse than Jesse’s wife, Zee (Mary-Louise Parker (Fred Green Tomatoes, Red Sparrow). After Jesse insists that Robert stay with him and meet his family while he directs the others to their next location, Robert believes he has been chosen as the chosen one, while the others in the gang aren’t sure what to think. I wish I could say that the two men get to know each other during this one-on-one time, but that is not the case. Robert already knows all there is to know about Jesse. He is obsessed with the great Jesse James, something we learn about initially in subtle ways, then in greater detail as their paths continue to converge and align. At one point, Jesse asks Robert, “Do you want to be like me? Or do you want to be me?” The film needed this question. It also needed to be asked bluntly and directly by Jesse to Robert. Robert is starstruck, something the rest of the gang has already witnessed. And if it’s true that Robert wants to be Jesse, is the only way he thinks that can happen by killing his hero?
Pitt dazzles the screen in this film. Even the vast Midwest wilderness is no match for Pitt’s unpretentious, unspoken mannerisms. There is quite a bit of unspoken remorse when Jesse rocks in a home chair, lost in thought, gazes. Perhaps he is wondering when his past misdeeds will finally catch up with him. There is also gentleness about him when he shares a tender moment with his wife or plays with his young children. All the while, Robert watches, with growing infatuation, this man whom he so reveres, this killer whose notoriety he wishes to possess.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a fantasy character study of two polar-opposite characters united by a common, albeit morbid, curiosity. The entire film points to the culminating act of Robert assassinating Jesse. But when? Where? Why? Does Jesse know that this betrayal is coming? Is he aware but unwilling to stop it? Does Jesse want to die? Is it his destiny to be killed by a coward? How does a coward gather the courage to kill?
Plot 8.75/10
Character Development 8.5/10
Character Chemistry 9.25/10
Acting 8.75/10
Screenplay 8.5/10
Directing 9/10
Cinematography 10/10
Sound 10/10
Hook and Reel 8/10
Universal Relevance 8/10
88.75%
B+
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