The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Film review. How's that for a film title eh? I was quite sure, as sure as my name is Rhama Arya Wibawa that this film is at least had to be one of the film which had the longest title length. And for 2:40 running time, it has to be one of the longest running length film of the year (2007) as well.

For myself, the hardest part to deal with a long film is to keep my attention from a slacking-off during the course. It's a rarity for a film which runs for more than 2:30 that could keep me NOT to divert my attention during its length. Jesse James had a strong start and a strong finish which i liked very much. But in between, some of the scenes varied from brilliant to a must-fight-yawn and these things were probably turned-off many people and prevented them with a rewarding experience which what i had felt when the film ends.

Jesse James (as judged by the title, you know how he's going to be at the end of the film) was famed as a member of James Gang, whose act is mostly involved in train robberies. The film begins with James Gang's last act. It was a great stuff. We were granted a chance to peek into the characters that made up the title of this film (Jesse James, who was depicted as a thief and a killer, and Robert Ford, who would later donned the title 'coward' for his act against Jesse James). However, as the film shy away from the last train robbery by James Gang to where Robert Ford for fear and greed had shot an arm-less Jessie from behind, the film also shy away from the track. Instead of concentrating on Jesse James and Robert Ford, and how Robert Ford who at the beginning of the film seems to admire and idolize Jesse James only to grow with envy later on, the film took the far lesser characters that made up the crumbled and defunct James Gang. I was struggling to keep the yawns at bay (i had seen the film well past ten p.m on a working day), but right at the moment before the notorious act begins, and well into the extended epilogue, the film backs on track and it delivers a strong grit that made me feel at least rewarded for my patience with the film.

The scene where Robert Ford shot Jesse James is a great shot. I loved the characters. Brad Pitt as Jesse James, calm, confident, but yet too weary with the way world is moved. He should pick more of roles that emphasizes his ability as a character actor rather than a spot-lighted star studded roles that merely exists to exploit his star status. And for the fact that he himself also produced this film, i think he had an idea to actually did just that. Casey Affleck, with his melancholy eyes, and a naive boyish attitude, is having a blast of his career so far. He portrays Robert Ford, a 19-year old boy who wish for a quick shortcut to fame and wealth by killing Jesse James, wishing to get a recognizition and applaud only to learn that - in a hard way - instead, he was given a notorious title as "The Coward". This particular realization, that he hadn't received an applaud he wishes, was in my opinion, a pinnacle of the film. He soaks the role, neck-deep in it, that you believed that he was actually 19 and not 32 as he actually is.

The Assassination of Jesse James is a long film, and it is admittably, a less engaging than the other Western film, 3:10 to Yuma (my review) but it also granted a reward for the patient viewer. And oh, by the way, 3:10 to Yuma was recently screened on our local theater (finally), and for my money, it is the best film to spend you hard earned money if you wish to spend it on a film tonight (that is, if you lived in Jakarta).