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The Assassination of Jesse James
by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) Warner Brothers, 2 hrs. 40 mins.
Starring:
Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Mary-Louise Parker, Sam
Shepard, Ted Levine, James Carville, Zooey Deschanel, Jeremy Renner,
Garrett Dillahunt, Paul Schneider
Directed by:
Andrew Dominik |
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So this is how the West was won,
huh? In filmmaker Andrew Dominik’s lengthy yet lyrical westerner The
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Dominik conveys a
sleepy yet sophisticated character study of the notorious outlaw Jesse
James and the associates that made up his infamous circle of cohorts.
Aside from the movie’s mouthful title, this contemplative and carousing
exposition is a ponderous examination of the Old West decked out in the
traditional tapestry of Hollywood’s meditative filmmaking style of
yesteryear.
Brad Pitt stars as the legendary western icon Jesse James, a charismatic
but murderous bank robber whose run-in with so-called trusted
accomplice-turned-treacherous turncoat Robert Ford (Casey Affleck, Pitt’s
“Ocean’s” movie series co-star) would prove fatal for the resilient
gunslinger. Dominik’s moody and sweeping revisionist dusty saga generates
a poetic playfulness deeply ingrained in lingering forethought.
Assassination is a wily and wondrous frontier fable arriving in the
aftermath of the amiable shoot ‘em up “us-against-them” 3:10 to Yuma. As
an often less-than-showcased genre, both Assassination and Yuma are
indicative of Tinseltown’s renewed interest in spearheading the
retro-western as a viable piece of entertainment.
Dominik’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford isn’t
necessarily a flawless and in-depth study of the dubious James. After all,
there have been better and thorough vehicles devoted to shining a light on
the ominous gun-toting rascal. Nevertheless, Dominik’s majestic slice of
life about the James gang and the duplicitous Ford that brings the
reckless Jesse to his hollow grave is a psychological trigger that
resonates with a noticeable Terrence Malick-inspired touch. Because of the
mythical aura of Jesse James and the turbulent times in which he existed,
it’s rather unfair for audiences expecting Dominik to fully capture the
percolating essence of this historical figure with a blood-thirsty
benevolence. Still, the scope to Assassination’s passion is steeped in the
ingredients of cultural decadence and amoral reflection.
The film’s extended title pretty much gives away the central premise.
Future James’ teenaged assassin Bobby Ford and his older brother Charley
(Sam Rockwell) gradually penetrate the heralded and hostile James gang. It
is 1881 and the Fords officially hook up with Jesse and older brother
Frank James (Sam Shepard) during the Blue Cut, Missouri heist. As
enterprising criminals themselves, the Ford brothers—mostly Bobby in
particular—had idolized the psychopath gunman Jesse James and his perverse
posse from afar. In an active attempt to take his worshiping to new
heights, the pint-sized pitbull Bobby Ford joins in with Jesse and the
boys and realizes a “dream-in-the-making”.
However, this dream soon becomes nightmarish when Bobby’s boyhood “hero”
Jesse and his cohorts show their nasty true colors. In short, they start
to ridicule and devalue the contributions of the Ford siblings. Soon,
Bobby is disillusioned by the mistreatment of his fallen idol James and
starts to harbor a vast resentment that soon will turn deadly for the
warped James and his misguided allies. The manifestation for the deranged
Bobby’s deep-seeded angst and disgust is burdensome. Simply, a
pistol-packing pest Jesse has no tolerance whatsoever for “weak
hangers-on” as Bobby and dimwit sib Charley are constantly reminded of
their laughingstock credentials.
So now what does a scorned Ford do when faced with the rejection of his
menacing mentor? It’s as plain as the whiskers on an unshaven face—Bobby
wants revenge on his ingrate of a boss. More important, he wants the
tainted glory and dangerous reputation that comes with all things Jesse
James and the “fear factor” that ensues. The puny Robert Ford has always
been a small fish in a big pond and becoming traitorous in doing Jesse
James in may elevate his stock tremendously in the history books. This is
about a little petty soul looking for grandeur from a pathetic killer
disguised as a big man in the obscurity of the Wild West.
There is no looking back as the Ford brothers need to escape the confines
of the James gang. The only way that Bobby can get relief from his former
“sadistic source of inspiration” is to kill Jesse James and this entails
selling him out and fast. As the old cliche goes “there’s always a heavy
price to pay at some point in time”. Is the gamble to shed James of Ford’s
memory bank worth the risk in retaliation and alienation?
Strangely, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is
an ode to celebrity worshiping and the transparency of respect and
admiration that comes with this tricky territory. Although packaged in an
epic-like construction of the rustic West and its rambling sentiments of
visionary disenchantment, Dominik’s suitable but sometimes labored
narrative is spellbinding in its mystique to blind loyalty and
self-importance. Occasionally, Assassination staggers with its trudging
pacing and self-indulgent narration. The nearly three-hour running time is
brutal at critical moments and the action bits are saddled between
prolonged scenes that drag dramatically. Still, the vibrant cinematography
by Roger Deakins’ scrumptious lens livens up the proceedings accordingly
as we are whisked away in the middle of the open Great Outdoors where
desperate men danced in perilous uncertainties.
The performances are solidly realized by leading lads Pitt and Affleck
(whose psychologically injured turn as Robert Ford is an Oscar-worthy
footnote). Pitt's Jesse James oozes despicable arrogance and unpredictable
deadly quirkiness. As Ford, Affleck is convincingly pained and paranoid
and serves as the impeccable Judas-like victim whose empty soul has been
scarred by the bigger-than-life blistering badass James. The supporting
performers are top notch and contribute to the uncompromising madness.
Among the central characterizations are Mary-Louise Parker (Jesse’s wife),
Sam Shepard (as the aforementioned Frank James), Deadwood’s Garrett
Dillahunt, Monk’s Ted Levine, Jeremy Renner, Sam Rockwell’s Charley Ford,
Michael Parks—all are instrumental in bringing to life the chaotic quilt
that pitted James against his petulant executioner in the agitated Ford.
Dominik’s Assassination doesn’t quite measure up to his other celebrated
take on the cynical shenanigans of an unglued social monster in Chopper
but that’s fine because the duel between fast-drawing fiends against a
landscape of prairie-induced pathos is plenty to digest with absolute
reverence. |
