The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (Single Disc)

Andrew Dominik's film about the last days of Jesse James, and the man who became notorious for killing him is a melancholic and beautiful film with two incredible performances by the actors playing the leads. Brad Pitt puts in a career best performance as Jesse James, the notorious killer who seems to be waiting for death. And Casey Affleck becomes more than just 'Ben Affleck's little brother' as Robert Ford, the man who is obsessed with James. Brilliant in every way, script, direction, acting and cinematography. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford rightly deserves it's spot topping the best of 2007.

We have'nt had many westerns made over the last 16 years which is a bit of shame because I love My westerns. Brad Pitt is perfect for the Jesse James role and this is My favourite film of his since Fight Club. I must admit I have'nt seen a Brad Pitt film which I haven't enjoyed. He is a very talented actor and has done many different types of roles over the years. The Assassination Of Jesse James is beautifully shot and written. If you love your westerns and like Me wish Hollywood made more then this film is for you it's wonderful.

the film is allmost a 'bioptic' account of 'jesse james's' final year ( 1881-1882 )
the film starts with an account of his last recorded robbery( train )
'jesse' ( brad pitt ) becomes obsessed with who he can and can't trust around him, he even takes to 'killing' a member of his recent 'gang' because he believes that he was involved in a conspiracy to collect the reward.
every where he goes he feels he's being watched, he even changes his name also he frequently moves his 'wife and two children' from house to house to avoid recognition.
'jesse' be-friends members of the 'ford' family taking a shine to 'bob' ( robert ) ford ' who was around 20 years old and not previously involved in any of 'jesse's' robbery's.
what 'jesse' was not aware of was 'bob's' obsession with the 'james' gang, in particulary 'jessie'
'bob' had collected much material on the outlaw, 'jesse' was his hero.
'jesse' talked of doing another job, but never did.
his choice of friends became his downfall.
if your looking for an exciting and action packed 'western'
this is not it ( though some of the violence is pretty graphic ) you may even find the film quite slow in the main, what the film try's to do is give you an insight of the man during his final days ( JESSE JAMES )

This was one I eventually picked it up in a multi-buy a while back simply to take a chance on it, because I had never caught it in cinemas back when it first came out.

This is a stunning piece of beautifully composed cinema. Visually, courtesy of Roger Deakins, it's one of the most spectacularly shot films I've ever seen - the landscapes and vistas used to breathtaking effect. The acting is without fault, from everyone involved - especially Affleck, Pitt and Sam Rockwell - and is fantastic to watch.

But it does need patience and time from the viewer. It is a long film, and it tells it's story at a leisurely pace, following the last 6 months of Jesse James' life, from his last major heist through his titular shooting. Throughout it does seem to act as a kind of part metaphor for our present celebrity culture - after all, it's his childhood idolising of James that brings Robert Ford into the gang, and James' failure to live up to Ford's image (for several reasons coupled with other events as the gang falls apart) that leads Ford into his actions. It's also interesting trivia that the family of James' etc seem to regard this as one of the more generally accurate depictions of his story.

Some might knock a star off for the running time and slow pace etc, and I'd maybe recommend renting it for some people over taking the chance I did, as it may not pay off for everyone. But when a film is as rewarding to watch as this one is, running time is not a big problem for me - so 5 stars it is!

Problem with reviews is this.. just because Joe Bloggs doesn't like it doesn't mean you wont. If your unsure then there are always rentals. I was really unsure if i should dish out and get this, but at a cheap price on Play and trade, why not? well, I thoroughly enjoyed!
proves exactly what i just said, never listen to reviews, just get it and jusdge it yourself.

It's purely character driven and the acting was fantastic, there are (and satisfyingly bloody) action scenes and the killings of certain members, but they are far and few between. Reason why is because this is a film that assumes you have more than a few brain cells and unlike 4 year olds with short atttention spans, gives you STORY rather than mindless stupid junk every 5 seconds. If you dont enjoy using any brains at all or you dont like to pay any attention during a movie then stick to Biker Boyz or XXX for mindless no brainer rubbish. The film is on for a long time but i have no problem with that, if i spend money on a nearly 3 hour film then that's my moneys worth. I hate spending money on movies that are only 80 mins long.

I really dont think you should listen to bad reviews, as contradictory as that sounds. Go and rent it if your still unsure. I personally thoroughly enjoyed it.