Andrew Dominik's 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' Review

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford has a Shakespearean feeling to it. It shows Jesse James as a man fully aware of his limited time left to live due to his former actions as a criminal, robbing and murdering with his gang.

Jesse James is aware of his mortality, and aware of the increasing chances of a gang member selling him out for a large reward as bounties arise with his name on them. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a duel between man and mind, though. Jesse James knows he has pushed himself into a corner that he cannot escape. The rising army of Sheriffs and bounty hunters have him pinned against his own thoughts.

Robert Ford is an obsessive fan of Jesse James, but he is also rather cowardly; he's utterly fascinated by Jesse James, lacking the emotional instability of a criminal to really follow his ways. Jesse James grooms Ford in, enforcing his obsession with him, ultimately persuading him to be his killer.

Ford takes the celebrity role of Jesse James. being famously known as the one who killed the legendary Jesse James, allowing his name to live on. The true coward's way out. Ford is later murdered by Edward O'Kelley in his saloon for his killing of Jesse James.

I enjoy the film's view of a criminal that doesn't just see the lawmen as a threat to his ways; it focuses on the psychological trauma that comes with being the leader of a well-known gang. The assumption that any person could turn their backs against his at any time, leading to his inevitable and not-so-legend-like capture and execution. Jesse James neither wants to die, or be captured like another mediocre criminal that thought they were above the law.

With a young Casey Affleck accompanied by Brad Pitt, the two lead performances ensure suspense, thrills, and the feeling of loss.