The film covers the events leading up to and after the murder of infamous outlaw Jesse James by gang member Robert Ford, and its aftermath.

CRITIQUE

This is a Jesse James movie like none you’ve ever seen before.  Walter Hill’s The Long Riders (1980) tried to be in the same general ballpark, but that picture was still long on action and short on characterization.

The Long Riders aside, most Jesse James movies, such as those starring Tyrone Power or Robert Wagner, paint the outlaw as a “Robin Hood of the old West” who turned to the wrong side of the law after the Civil War to fight the railroads that were trying to steal land belonging to honest Missouri farmers.

In fact, James was a brutal, paranoid killer, who murdered over seventeen people, several in cold-blood.  Many of the stories about him are total myth.

As portrayed by Brad Pitt in this film, James may be a good family man, but he is no tragic hero.  He is suspicious of everybody around him and has absolutely no hesitation when it comes to beating up a young boy in order to get some information, or shooting (in the back) one of his own gang members if he suspects a betrayal.  Pitt’s Jesse James is anything but sympathetic.

Neither is Casey Affleck’s Robert Ford, which is, actually, the central role in what is essentially a character drama, rather than an action piece.  Indeed, Affleck has considerable more screen time than Pitt in this picture.

The movie picks up the Jesse James saga after the disastrous raid on Northfield, Minnesota, when most of the James gang, including the Younger Brothers, were either captured or killed.

James, whose legend in his lifetime outshone and glorified the facts, was a national celebrity.  Many books had been written about his “heroic” adventures, and the poor people of Missouri were enamored with him because most of his robberies were carried out against railroads and banks owned by Northern business interests.

Jesse’s biggest fan in this film is Robert Ford, who is totally obsessed with the outlaw.  He even has a box under his bed filled with books and newspaper clippings about James’ exploits, and he fantasizes about achieving the same kind of fame as Jesse.

Frank James (Sam Shepard) doesn’t either like or trust Ford, but Jesse appears somewhat intrigued by his “brown-nosing”.  Eventually, lets the young wannabe outlaw into the outskirts of his inner circle though, like his brother, remains suspicious because Bob always seems to be “planning something”.

There’s a certain John Lennon/Mark David Chapman element in the relationship between Jesse and Ford.  Bob, realizing that he can never be Jesse, decides that the only way to achieve celebrity is to kill the outlaw.

Directed by Andrew Dominick, this is a very engrossing, beautifully photographed movie.  It was shot in Canada and takes full advantage of its stunning vistas.  More than any other western in memory, it recreates a time and place that looks totally authentic, rather than the usual “Hollywood West”.

As previously stated, this is not a western for action fans.  It’s a long (160 minutes), extremely well-acted character piece that contains several moments of startling action, none of which are overly sensational.

The picture could, probably, have lost a few minutes during the editing process without without any serious damage, but it’s biggest problem is that there is really no major characters in the piece who are sympathetic.

Jesse and Bob Ford are very unlikable, as are the other members of the outlaw gang. 

Mary-Louise Parker, as Jesse’s wife has almost nothing to do except serve meals and cry over her husband’s dead body near the end of the movie, and Sam Shepard’s Frank James, who is rather affable, disappears from the story during the first half-hour.

Despite those reservations, though it’s no classic, I did wind up liking the picture.  I even like the title.

THE VIDEO

The widescreen picture is crisp, sharp with no flaws whatsoever.

THE VIDEO

The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound is has no problems, except for the fact that the actors mumble an occasional line.

THE EXTRAS

There are no extras on the DVD. Not even a trailer.

Interestingly, both high definition formats of the film feature a documentary.

FINAL THOUGHT

If you have the patience to stick with the film’s lengthy running time, you will be amply rewarded.