The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

In the entire 160 minutes of this film there is not a single shot that is redundant or superfluous, and this can't be said very often. I agree with the review by Lima, who thoroughly analyzed the actors, characters, and their actions. The only difference is that for my voracious mainstream taste, I would need more action. But this piece will satisfy old hands and film intellectuals (not the cynics) one hundred percent. (25/05/2008)

American history and national myths feature the story of the famous outlaw Jesse James. Rather than being an artistic western, the film is more of an anti-western that consistently breaks the genre's stereotypes and is uncompromising in its rejection of western clichés. This is its main advantage, but paradoxically also its greatest weakness. Film fans often complain about clichés, but at the same time, they really like them. Andrew Dominik did not conceive his film as an adventure story, but rather as a slowly flowing biographical story of Jesse James. The problem is that the runtime is dragged out and the film as a whole is unremarkable, so when combined with melancholic music, it acts like a sedative. Those who start watching the film late at night hoping to be entertained have a decent chance of falling asleep. The film has several strengths, such as the cast, where a group of excellent actors come together, and the excellent camera work. However, the overall impression is strongly influenced by the lack of dynamic action and effects that would be able to energize viewers. Overall impression: 55%. (13/12/2009)

An artistic western is in itself a combination that I would consider an oxymoron rather than anything else. Well, this film didn't change my mind about it. The comparison with Terrence Malick is quite fitting because the pace is similar. Yes, there is so much hidden beneath the surface, it certainly is a gem, as some say. I just have a feeling that the creators wanted to make something out of the western genre that it is not, and so they didn't really make a western at all, but rather an artistic biography with subtext. Talking about tension here simply isn't possible. I don't understand Dominik's perspective on the world and I don't even have the desire to understand. I would actually believe that the original novel would be more interesting to read. (25/03/2014)

If I had to use only one word to describe this film, I’d probably choose "captivating". A narrative flowing so seamlessly that I wouldn't have cut a single frame, and this is a 150-minute voyage completely outside Hollywood mainstream, where little editing, expressions that replace dozens of words and arty shots of the natural scenery, the kind which in Gladiator sounded like a few balladic lines in conventional mass prose, are the order of the day in almost every scene and form the characteristic meditative symbolism of the whole work. And when it's time to get verbal, the two wonderful leading actors make a powerful statement, and from the beginning they sparkle incredibly, and the level of their personal conflict works perhaps as well as it ever could – Affleck is a perfectly weird and unpredictable bastard, Pitt is incredibly charismatic and exudes such inner strength that I'd probably put on a mankini and declare my love to my high school maths teacher if he told me to. Except for the emotionally indifferent ending of their duel, which didn't satisfy me maybe because even Jesse himself, despite his charisma, is just a bastard you can hardly find your way to, this film deserves only praise. Deakins does a standard ethereal and therefore probably academically unappreciated job, the music will stay in your head long after the screening, and Andrew Dominik suffered a bout of filmmaking creativity that, with any luck, he will repeat. A different western, but more progressive than any other genre work in many years. (12/02/2017)

Brad Pitt gave one of the best performances of his career, and if Andrew Dominic hadn't made it so long, this might have been one of his best movies. The unnecessary rambling of the story takes away from its intensity and distracts from the main plot. I guess that's the only thing that bothered me. The other actors do their best, too, and Casey Affleck is either a great actor or a total douche in reality. Ford is an ugly figure, and even the ending couldn't redeem him in any way. He did what he did, and I didn't care at all that he regretted it. A young naïve fool who wanted to become famous and killed his friend. In a cowardly way, from behind, and for no fundamental reason. We shouldn't kill our heroes, we should look up to them. A very strong four star rating. (18/03/2008)