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Directed by: Andrew Dominik Starring: Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford tells the story of the final robbery of the Jesse James (Pitt) and his gang, in which the young idealist Robert Ford (Affleck) joins him. I didn't walk into the movie expecting much, having a bit of a strained relationship with the western, but I found this movie to be one of the best of '07, which is a compliment in itself considering the amount of top-notch films released then. The soundtrack is quite haunting, and makes a few of the film's ethereal shots all the more chilling. Casey Affleck's performance as the meek, but very deeply troubled, Ford is among the top-tier performances of the year, supporting actor or not. The "supporting actor" that he's nominated at the academy awards I feel is a bit of a misnomer; although billed as a supporting actor, Affleck spends enough time on screen and is so integral to the plot, that he is deserving of co-star designation at least, if not lead actor outright. The few gripes I have of the movie are few and far between. Mainly, I feel that the voice-over narrator was a bit overused and I felt that one extended plot-point regarding two minor characters to be a bit needless. Overall, however, I still would still say this is more than deserving of a spot on my 10 best of the year list.
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Feb 5, 2008 23:12
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Having heard what a masterpiece this is, I finally got round to watching it. Technically, it's excellent. Scenery, acting, lighting etc. As a story, however, I found it to be unbelievably dull and tedious, to the extent that I gave up watching about two-thirds the way through, after I eventually realised that it simply wasn't going to get any better. Perhaps the problem is that it's almost too realistic a portrayal of the life of a cowboy/train-robber, in that between occasional bursts of activity an awful lot of nothing-much happens. Excruciatingly boring. 1/5
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Sep 3, 2010 23:51
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The realistic style is great for me, if not for Stoatbringer. Let me put it like this: if you enjoyed Eastwood's "Unforgiven," you may well like this one a similar way. An honest and unflattering depiction of gunfighters and outlaws, but still steeped in pathos. An unflinching story of a man who fell hard for the cheap romanticism and mystique of the outlaw gunslinger is something that Americans could benefit by watching. A good remedy for too many John Wayne (or Eastwood) flicks. Five loving stars!!!
SnakePlissken fucked around with this message at 07:52 on Nov 26, 2010 |
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Nov 26, 2010 07:48
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