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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford [2007] | ![The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford [2007]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ImjAQLjqL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Andrew Dominik
Actors: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Mary-louise Parker, Sam Rockwell, Brooklynn Proulx
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: £20.99
Buy New: £6.99
You Save: £14.00 (67%)
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Rating:  70 reviews
Format: Pal
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region: 2
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 155 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 7321900763738
ASIN: B000Y8G0OS
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: March 31, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Unwanted gift. It has never been opened.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk
Of all the movies made about or glancingly involving the 19th-century outlaw Jesse Woodson James, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is the most reflective, most ambitious, most intricately fascinating, and indisputably most beautiful. Based on the novel of the same name by Ron Hansen, it picks up James late in his career, a few hours before his final train robbery, then covers the slow catastrophe of the gang's breakup over the next seven months even as the boss himself settles into an approximation of genteel retirement. But in another sense all of the movie is later than that. The very title assumes the audience's familiarity with James as a figure out of history and legend, and our awareness that he was--will be--murdered in his parlor one quiet afternoon by a back-shooting crony.
The film--only the second to be made by New Zealand-born writer-director Andrew Dominik--reminds us that Dominik's debut film, Chopper, was the cunningly off-kilter portrait of another real-life criminal psychopath who became a kind of rock star to his society. The Jesse James of this telling is no Robin Hood robbing the rich to give to the poor, and that train robbery we witness is punctuated by acts of gratuitous brutality, not gallantry. Nineteen-year-old Bob Ford (Casey Affleck) seeks to join the James gang out of hero worship stoked by the dime novels he secretes under his bed, but his glam hero (Brad Pitt) is a monster who takes private glee in infecting his accomplices with his own paranoia, then murdering them for it. In the careful orchestration of James's final moments, there's even a hint that he takes satisfaction in his own demise. Affleck and Pitt (who co-produced with Ridley Scott, among others) are mesmerising in the title roles, but the movie is enriched by an exceptional supporting cast: Sam Shepard as Jesse's older, more stable brother Frank; Sam Rockwell as Bob Ford's own brother Charlie, whose post-assassination descent into madness is astonishing to behold; Paul Schneider, Garret Dillahunt, and Jeremy Renner as three variously doomed gang members; and Mary-Louise Parker, who as Jesse's wife Zee has few lines yet manages with looks and body language to invoke a well nigh-novelistic back-story for herself. There are also electrifying cameos by James Carville, doing solid actorly work as the governor of Missouri; Ted Levine, as a lawman of antic spirit; and Nick Cave, composer of the film's score (with Warren Ellis) and screenwriter of the Aussie western The Proposition, suddenly towering over a late scene to perform the folk song that set the terms for the book and movie's title.
Still, the real co-star is Roger Deakins, probably the finest cinematographer at work today. The landscapes of the movie (mostly in Alberta and Manitoba) will linger in the memory as long as the distinctive faces, and we seem to feel the sting of its snows on our cheeks. Interior scenes are equally persuasive. Few westerns have conveyed so tangibly the bleakness and austerity of the spaces people of the frontier called home, and sought in vain to warm with human spirit. --Richard T. Jameson
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| Customer Reviews:
 Film of the year (2007) December 6, 2007
Mr. R. Safadi (London, England.)
27 out of 31 found this review helpful
This was a breath of fresh air. People that went in thought this was another gun slinging movie with a shooting and action every few seconds. This movie is mostly based around Robert Ford, the events that lead to the assassination and the ones that took place in between. Casey Affleck's performance is oscar worthy and makes a mockery out of his big brothers career (take notes Ben).
Brad Pitt is perfect as the infamous outlaw Jesse James, who is a character bigger than life but also a human with a family and own demons to fight. The beautiful scenery/cinematography is another thing worth mentioning. At some points this feels like a Terrence Malick movie, which is a good sign to movie lovers.
This movie isn't for everyone. If you want gun slinging action you're better off watching an action packed cliche type Michael Bay movie but if you love movies with characters worthy of your time, slow paced but in a good way and beautiful in all aspects then don't miss this.
As Sparse and Cold As The Missouri Winter March 2, 2008
pris (New EnglandUSA)
26 out of 29 found this review helpful
"For a movie that has sat on a shelf for two years gathering bad buzz, this quiet wow of a Western sneaks up as one hell of a satisfying surprise. Artfully exciting and compulsively watchable even at a butt-numbing 152 minutes, the film makes good on the promise." Peter Travers
After viewing this film, I sat for minutes, mind numb, recalling what I had just seen. A remarkable film, too remarkable to call a western, its genre is one I can't quite find a name for. From the title of the film we understand the story and the score. But halfway in we are so admiring of Brad Pitt as Jesse James, aka Tom Howard, that we want to believe that the title is a misnomer. Brad Pitt plays this role as it was meant to be focused, ruthless, intelligent, psycopathic and brilliant. Casey Affleck as Robert Ford has won my admiration. He is a true thespian. No acting was evident here, it was the real man. Sam Shepard plays Jesse's brother, Frank as imaginatively as possible. Mary Louise Parker as Jesse's wife leaves us with a haunting feel for her man. And James Carville, in his 1800's white tie and tuxedo, as the Governor is quite remarkable. Each and every role should be praised.
In 1881, Jesse and Frank James career of crime comes to a parting of the ways. As the film progresses the entire gang falls apart one way or another. As the filmn unfolds we know what the ending will be, but I was not prepared at all for the scene as it came to be. The scenes following were so profound and deadly that as I said I sat stunned for a few minutes recalling what I had just seen. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful. The stark, white cold winter of Missouri blends in with the stark and sparseness of the film and the characters. I could not find one item that I disagreed with in this film- remarkable, just remarkable.
"Jesse James wasn't just a good shot -- he was a skilled strategist who merged greed and talent to become one of the most notorious gunmen in history. People looking for a traditional Western and exciting gunplay will be sorely disappointed, but those with patience and an eye for character study will be enthralled by the results. 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' is a remarkable film, one that I'll revisit again and again." Kenneth Brown
With the addition of Nick Cave's melancholy music that is at once profound and moving this is a film for everyone. Nick Cave shows up in the film singing 'The Ballad of Jesse James' and it is the right touch at the right time. Brilliant film, brilliant acting-
Highly Recommended. prisrob 03-02-08
Gone Baby Gone
A remarkable reworking of the myth. January 30, 2008
S. J. Williams (Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom)
18 out of 20 found this review helpful
I can assure JI Robertson that I really do think this is a superb film: because 40 people walked out of the cinema he was in is as irrelevant to proving its weakness as the number of bums on seats at, say the Phantom Menace 'proving' that that was a good film.
It is not an action film; it is slow; it is primarily a character piece and therefore works against expectations of Westerns, but that doesn't mean it's not a great one. It actually addresses a central theme of the genre, one that has been explored in various ways for years, that of the clash between celebrity reputation and reality. Pitt's Jesse is capricious, brutal, unstable, murderous, disturbed. Ford's disappointed idolatry and a desire for some celebrity status of his own through killing him after his 'hero' rebuffs and insults him, is doomed. Ford is vilified by those who prefer the mythology about the outlaw. And there is certainly no pretence that Ford kills James as an expression of justice.
The performances of Pitt and Affleck are superb, particularly the latter's depiction of craven idolisation curdling into resentment, envy and desire for esteem, if not his hero's, then the public's, which, they determinedly refuse to give. The soundtrack is wonderful and the cinematography, by Roger Deakins who also DP'd No Country For Old Men, is broodingly beautiful. This really lingers in the memory. It amazes me that we can see all sorts of mediocrity replicated in hundreds of cinemas, but it's so hard to find this gem. Saw it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and desperate to see it again, but where?
Unexpected gem March 1, 2008
Chrislovesbuffy (Edinburgh, UK)
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
I went into this movie with absolutely no expectations. Almost from the very first scene I was hooked. The reason ... incredible cinematography - truly beautiful - together with an inspired set of acting performances by all involved, especially Casey Affleck but with notable mentions for Sam Rockwell and Brad Pitt. Throw in an incredibly well written script, excellent direction and a moving, gorgeous soundtrack and - for me - you have one of the best films of recent times. It's not a movie that everyone will like, some may find it too ponderous, but personally I thought it was perfect. I don't usually recommend many films, but felt I had to on this occassion.
Not to be missed! February 25, 2008
B.
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
Far better than I thought it would be (and I expected it to be great to begin with). Pitt is excellent as a tortured, paranoid, psychotic Jesse James. And a star is born in Casey Affleck's portrayal of the coward Robert Ford. The cinematography alone is worth a viewing: artistic & innovative from start to finish.
I can't recommend this film enough - one of the best of 2007. Even at a what seems to some an eternity of 2 hrs. and 40 min., it will hold your attention, interest and (ultimately) admiration.
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