ie:missional teaching. glocalizing. living. serving. repenting. incarnating. loving. repeating.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford stars Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck based on the novel of the same name by Ron Hansen. Amazon lists the book at 320 pages and I’m sure the movie was at least that many hours.

The story centers on the last few months of James’ life, from September 7, 1881 through April 3, 1882, the date of his death. The adjective “assassination” is used rather than “murder” or “shooting” due to the notoriety that the outlaw had received following his 20+ bank and train robberies (with brother, Frank, and the “James Gang”) and his self-proclaimed 17 murders.

The movie uses, not effectively in my estimation, a lot of narration that is supposed to sound old and western but really just sounds uninteresting. Pitt is believable as the weary warrior, who at the age of 34 is already well along the down side of life. He does a good job of avoiding the smirks of his Ocean’s series character so you never get the feeling that he’s just collecting a paycheck on this one, and he does admirable work portraying James at times of overwhelming mental stress, anxiety and paranoia and as the family man forever hidden under the alias Tom Howard.

Affleck, who was honored with a Best Supporting Actor Nomination for his portrayal of the young, conflicted, fame seeking Robert “Bob” Ford, has moments of sheer brilliance but the disjointedness of the story telling works against his overall performance, IMO. After his initial appearance, which is extended, there was one point where I thought, “Where is Casey Affleck? Isn’t he in this movie?” I always felt that the best actors could carry or change a scene with their eyes, facial muscles and vocal tones–he pulls this off well especially early when both Frank and Jesse seem to put him down as too young (he was only 19 at the time of the Blue Cut train robbery). A particularly good scene features Ford, with some amount of embarrassment, recounting the ways that he as a youngster had likened himself to James. I really felt empathy for this character who sought so desperately to be liked by the one he admired, but never earned that respect.

(As good as Affleck’s performance is it does not come close to the astonishing, screen filling turn of Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood and there were actually a couple of times early in the movie when the silly grin of “Bob” Ford reminded me of Ernest T. Bass more than a real gunslinger. Of course, that may have well been the intent as, initially, that is rather how Ford appeared to those around him.)

Ultimately Ford is about making a name for himself and, as the gang begins to implode, Jesse James’ continued patronizing of and veiled threats toward the younger outlaw brings him to a point that no man had dared go: the betrayal and killing of the man he once admired as a hero. By the time the titular scene arrives, however, it is all one can do to stay awake. This movie is really long, 160 minutes worth and the last 30 minutes or so are a record of the self-aggrandizement of Ford after reaching his desired celebrity. It is stated in the narration that not long after the killing, Robert Ford was recognized by a greater percentage of Americans than the president of the United States and was “more renowned at twenty than Jesse James after fourteen years of grand larceny.”

The killing itself is most bizarre. It is as if Ford is the uncertain tool of assassination under the direction of a choreographer who was Jesse James himself. I have no idea as to its historical accuracy.

Unless you are a fan of every western ever made or you desire a lot of action in that genre, or simply enjoy movies that move very slowly you might want to steer clear of this one. It is a talkie.

The primary strength of this movie is its cinematography. Filmed in both Winnipeg, Manitoba and Calgary, Alberta, Canada (the latter of which boasts some of the most gorgeous scenery on earth) the setting passes easily for the midwestern US in both summer and winter. The snow scenes are tremendous.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is rated “R” for typical gun violence, a dozen or so swear words (but I wasn’t counting). There is no nudity or sexuality but there are a couple of brief sexually oriented conversations.