The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

An elegiac take on the last months of Jesse James' life and his death at the hands of an obsessive hanger-on, filmmaker Andrew Dominik's adaptation of Ron Hansen's novel offers a haunting reverie about the American West on the cusp of the modern age in a film beautifully shot by master cinematographer Roger Deakins. Thoroughly engrossing, despite its near-three-hour length, the film boasts a big, operatic performance by Brad Pitt as the notorious bandit entering a troubled retirement, and an even better one—far quieter but even more compelling—by Casey Affleck as the wimpy young idolater Bob Ford, who attains celebrity by killing the outlaw and publicizing the deed. The antithesis of the man he wants to be, Bob is nevertheless the tragic hero of the film (Affleck makes you feel his inchoate pain with perfect restraint), which deftly crosscuts among the internally conflicted erstwhile gang members, while emphasizing both Bob's combination of weakness and ambition, and Jesse's gloomy awareness of the fact that his own friends might be plotting to betray him (the hunted man befriends Ford, even though he seems to be aware that the somber, fragile boy can't be trusted). Although it hews fairly closely—if often elliptically—to the historical record, the film is first and foremost an artistic work of both dreamlike style and mythic power. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—Apr. 1, 2008—Warner, 160 min., R, $35.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2007's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford features an often gorgeous but occasionally flawed 1080p transfer (with some pronounced edge enhancement in certain scenes) and solid Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. Although the standard DVD release was bare-bones, the Blu-ray disc includes a fine half-hour profile of the notorious outlaw entitled “The Assassination of Jesse James: Death of an Outlaw,” with author Ron Hansen and various biographers providing insights. Bottom line: one of 2007's best films unfortunately receives a less-than-sterling Blu-ray release, although the bonus featurette is a nice addition.]