The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Director: Andrew Dominik
Year Released: 2007
Rating: 2.5
'Meditative' examination of the relationship between criminal superstar Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and the hero-worshipping Bob Ford (Casey Affleck) who both loves and wants to be the famous outlaw - it's almost like All About Eve, but with horses and pistols. What causes problems, however, is the picture's defiant art-house aspiration, thinking that just by showing snow covered fields and having the soon-to-die James character look twitchingly out every window he comes across it makes a 'deeper impact' than, say, just telling a story sans filler. Puffed up and self-conscious, it lacks in significance and meat, though the performances (by Pitt, Affleck and Sam Rockwell), coupled with Roger Deakins' amazing cinematography, are wonderful distractions.
