Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Reviews

Waste of time

There is a good story hidden somewhere in this film, but please don't waste almost 3 hours of your life trying to find it. Brad Pitt is rubbish, and so are most of the other actors, easily the worst film I have seen this year.

Stunning and the 3 hours are justified.

I have to say, I completely disagree with the above review, because The Assassination of Jesse James was easily, in my opinion one of the most outstanding films of the year, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was one of the big contenders of this years OSCARs.

Casey Affleck is fantastic, and his naive and creepy portrayal of Robert Ford is mesmerising. Brad Pitt, many reviews have said is at his best, though having only seen him in a couple of films, I couldn't comment, though I would agree that he is very impressive.

The stunning cinematography and Nick Cave soundtrack doesn't hurt.

Oh god, I went and hyped it up, sorry, but it needs to be said!

the assassination of Jesse james by the coward robert ford

deffinatly worth a watch. dont expect some blockbuster action picture - atmospheric, slow paced - observational film

[Highly rated reviewer]

Great film, but be warned it's slow

A strong contender for my film of the year. A western with little in the way of action and a running time almost as long as its title, this is not for everybody. As a fan of both McCabe And Mrs Miller and Days Of Heaven this was an easy watch for me. Roger Deakins' (cinematographer for the Coen brothers) photography brings a faded but not historical hue, applying effects that give it both a period look and a feeling of reaching back into the memory and in conjunction with Dominik's direction, we get a film that sits alongside the Altman and Malick classics. The cinematography doesn't touch the same sort of quality that Days Of Heaven does yet it's still the lyrical and elegaic film that reviewers have been at pains to not-be-too-obvious about highlighting with some substance as well. There isn't much of a plot, it's more an exploration of myth, facts, fame, fortune and celebrity with Dominik's bringing tension and meaning to the characters faces. Excellent and a film that I could go and watch again already

[Highly rated reviewer]

good cure for insomnia

wow this film STINKS!! i know that's not very articulate but that's really all that i can say about this 'film'.

oh go on then i will say more.....boring...slow....boring...slow, we sat down to watch it on a saturday night maybe that was our mistake, we opened the wine, we threw the kids to bed and we got the snacks out and we sat down to be entertained it did not have to change the world for us or say anything profound in any way but it did have to keep us from yawning and falling asleep.

please please if you only take notice of one review this year make it this one, don't rent this and then maybe they will never make another film as bad as this again,yes you CAN do your bit!!.

The Assassination of My Spare Time

Overblown. Pretentious. Long-winded. Weighed down by its own self-importance. If you can bear to struggle on with this film, which proceeds at a snail's pace, then your only problem will be trying to decipher the dialogue. When Deadwood came out, it was praised for its use of late nineteenth century English. Here, the characters mumble through their lines, making the antiquated language impossible to grasp. Then we're treated to another long tedious shot of a field, another field...and another field. Brad Pitt seems to be sleepwalking through this film (yes, it was sending him to sleep too) and acts as if he doesn't care about what happens. Very quickly you will feel the same and switch off, as I did. I managed to get to the 32nd minute. Anyone beat that?

Great For Insomniacs

Gave up on this after 30 mins.

Much more fun watching paint dry.

I could not understand a word that was being said, much like a lot of American movies thses days.

Take my word & don't waste your money renting or buying this film.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Expert Story Telling

Thank God for Andrew Dominik! There is at least one writer/director who understands the power of story and performance. There’s such a leap from “Chopper” (Another amazing movie by Dominik) to Jesse James. I have no idea his inspiration behind wanting to tell this story, but I am over the moon he followed his muse and seen it through.

Dominik’s screenplay is intensely character driven, and it is obvious that all on screen are revelling in the roles they have been given. For me, there is simply not a bad performance from anyone on screen. Everyone is a joy to watch and I couldn’t help but get caught up and swept away with this story. The images on screen took my breath away at times. The image of Brad Pitt (Jesse) crouched down on the iced over lake with those amazing mountain ranges behind him, all caked with ice and frost, was a feast for the eyes. That’s one image that comes to mind whilst writing this. This movie is jammed packed with amazing scenery and the recreation of the late 1800’s is expertly done and 100% believable. Throughout the direction and cinematography are a master class in movie making.

If you come to this movie thinking it is going to be all Bank Robberies and Shoot-outs then you have got the wrong idea of what this movie it all about. It focuses on the break-up and demise of the legendary James Gang. Jesse (Brad Pitt) has already lived his glory years by the time we join him, but with that said there is one train robbery (but it ain’t like it was in the old days, is it?) and there is some gun play.

The true power of this movie is the performances and dialog and the creepy, sinister, sycophantic character study of Mr Robert Ford., played so convincingly by Casey Affleck. I was very impressed by his performance, as I was with Brad Pit. Pitt gets better for me as he gets older and is able to shake off all the pretty boy roles that he cashed in on in his younger years. Now he is freed up from those stereotypes he can get into character roles like Jesse James and make me believe in the character he is playing. I like previous Brad Pitt movies, he does what he says on the tin, but here he goes beyond anything I expected from him. I see him in a whole new light as an actor now. He really carries the menace and erratic mind of Jesse James through here. He was a joy to watch, as was Affleck and Sam Rockwell. Really for me, everyone in this movie was first rate.

I was so impressed by this movie because it surprised me. I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy it that much. I thought it would just be another old time west story, thought I would have seen it all before. But I was so wrong. ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ encapsulates everything that movie making should be. What better complement can I give that.

If this is an edited down version of Dominik’s intended story then I would give my back teeth to see the full version. Oh and I think the narration aided the story perfectly. It was poetic and full of prose in places. That’s it. Obviously I loved this movie. I want to see the 4 hour plus one now.

Very disappointing

Had high hopes for this film, but ultimately felt it was a waste of two and a half hours. Had no clue who several of the characters were, what their purpose in the story was, and had extreme difficulty understanding a single word either Brad Pitt or Casey Affleck said. Would not recommend.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Don't bother

I should have known better when I had practically lost interest by the time I had read the title but I was lead astray by positive reviews. I would have given this film at least one star if Brad had exposed a little flesh but I couldn't even do that. It was slow, dull, laborious, pointless and did I mention dull? Very disappointing.