Jesse James: American Outlaw

Originally broadcast on The History Channel, Jesse James: American Outlaw compiles two documentaries—the main program The Plot to Kill Jesse James and the bonus Biography episode The James Gang: Outlaw Brothers—that aim to separate the legend from the truth about one of the Old West's most celebrated outlaws. The legend of Jesse James is, admittedly, appealing for all the wrong reasons: the tale of a strikingly handsome, seemingly indefatigable, gun-slinging bank robber who repeatedly outwitted corrupt law enforcement officers. Indeed, James was thought of as something of a Robin Hood figure (although he didn't exactly give to the poor; he just wouldn't steal from them). James clearly understood the value of legend building—witness his alliance with sensationalist newspaper editor John Newman Edwards, who used the media to build up an aura around the James Gang that still persists today (in fact, this release is meant to coincide with the opening of the feature film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck). The Plot to Kill Jesse James focuses on the final years of James' life, paying as much attention to Robert Ford—the man who shot and killed James—as it does to the outlaw himself, with its combination of dramatic re-enactments and interviews of academics and biographers. The James Gang: Outlaw Brothers, includes more coverage of Jesse's earlier years and his relationship with his brother Frank. Presenting the verifiable facts of James' life and death set against the backdrop of a complex tapestry of political animosity and economic instability in post-Civil War America (a topsy-turvy world in which a criminal might easily be cheered as a hero), this is sure to be popular. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)