Diary entries forThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
I came across my original notes written shortly after I had seen the film in 2010. I've still only ever seen it the one time, so it will be very interesting to revisit this film soon and see if a smitten Jesse is still in there somewhere. ******** Most modern entertainment feels largely a painless affair. A yarn telling of the exploits of Jesse James and his tag-alongs could so easily be reduced to glib chatter and a string of messy gunfights. How mesmerizing it is, then, to find such a tale told via an enduring series of outright motion paintings. And if painterly is too strong a word for the occasion, perhaps the cinematographic concept of "everything in its place" will suffice. A methodical style as dictated by sublime composition and the ethereal expanse of the North American topography - or at least the luminous expression of what that topography used to be. The film's straight-tongued dialogue interludes mesh with the period's technology, occasional lens distortion affecting more than what is shown. The narration is of a descriptive nature and recites for us what we soon see, and thankfully this has the effect of increasing the importance of what is going on rather than any supposed redundancy. Days of gray and sepia are punctuated by rich, quieting scenes of midnight, the flicker of fire casting the kind of shadows Plato might write about. The music is entrancing, being both restful and restless, providing a humming undercurrent for the visual journey passing before the frame. The pacing is unabashed. There is no cutting in the interests of audience bathroom breaks or tolerance and the film is a finer creation for it. What is on prime display here is cinematic time. The space and breadth of dialogue, glances, and actions extended as suitable to the scene. The conversational timekeepers can smash their heads to bits on this one. If I had to name its ancestor, I'd say it escapes from the same feature-length cocoon as the likes of Sergio Leone, and specifically his "Once Upon A Time In the West". There is no realism, only mythos imparted to a participating viewer at its own pace on its own terms. An otherworldly West, a capitalized concept and vehicle through which a story of conflicting wills may be told with the guiltless and guilt-ridden alike receiving their fate. There's a deep pulse at work here, a kind of slow-toiling, glacial sureness extending past the frame of even the widest widescreen presentation. Leone's earlier Italian film title translates more literally to "There once was a west," and Dominik's film makes a stand along those same dusty crossroads, removing its gun belt at a moment of truth, and allowing the viewer ... time.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
*slaps the top of the sublime, cinematic western expanse* "You can fit so many men-loving-m.....yths in this thing." Luscious looker of a film still hoooolds its liquor and still got me in the end. I'd forgotten how much of a 'who's who' the cast is, including a Nick Cave bard appearance. (Also kinda' wild to be reading over my previous notes from 14 years ago now! The only running length getting carried away with itself is this blasted timeline we're all on.)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
[30 Day Film Challenge] Day 3: a film that has more than five words. the first and second part of the movie i wasn't that invested in the story but i was mesmerized by all the beautiful shots in the movie! i finally got invested by the end of it tho, brad's performance was truly captivating!
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Been in my watchlist since the first time I got letterboxd. Lot's to unpack, this might be Pitt's best performance and EASILY Deakins best shot/cinematography. Casey's performance is incredible, loved the descent into jealousy, the murder is perfectly set up and paced. Favorite moments is obviously the train heist scene and the assassination. Also the epilogue is very good.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Roger Deakins abimiz konuÅŸmuÅŸ yine
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
79/100 Beautiful beautiful cinema. I watched it only because of Roger Deakins. I had seen clips of this film’s cinematography and thought I had to watch it for this reason alone. The film while quite boring in the first half really picks up well in the second and provides some quality of anxiety-inducing cinema. Brilliant performances from Sam Rockwell, Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt really make this film quite a treat. The music does bother me at times, not in tune with the tone. The main issue of course is that it’s just too long, 2 hours would’ve been perfect. The extra 35 mins is a pure waste of time and is the result of dragging a lot of scenes.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
For what this movie is, I cannot believe it was not shoved down my throat as a must watch. For what this movie is, a deconstruction of the western genre (one that I am admittingly not very familiar with, but I am with it's pillars), a story about betrayal, fragility, paranoia, loneliness, legends, and the myths that made them. Weaved together delicately with the deep melancholy of its poignant and prominent soundtrack, its breathtaking cinematography and masterful storytelling and script. It should be more celebrated than it is burried. A movie so grey, like it's story, like it's performances and direction. Pitt's best performance ever, in my opinion. The masterful shifts in his facades were unprecedented for me, even as a big advocate for the fact that Brad Pitt is indeed a very great actor. Casey's arc from a fanboy to a scared man to a lonely one was so subtle, laced with his character's ever-present awkwardness, but very noticable. Andrew Dominik maintains the tension in this movie insanely well. You know what's going to happen; it's literally the title of the movie, yet your breath is involuntarily shallow the entire runtime. I almost went into cardiac arrest when I learnt the same man who made this was the one who made Blonde. One of the most atrocious pieces of media I have ever consumed. In comparison to this masterpiece (yes, I consider it one), it's mind-boggling.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Still an absolutely stunning movie from a visual experience. This might be my favorite performance of Pitt’s, his charisma clearly reveals why people would flock to Jesse, but he’s able to turn on a moments notice, and when he begins to succumb deeply to paranoia, Pitt handles it flawlessly. Affleck as the sniveling Ford is brilliant as well, managing to be both detestable and sympathetic. Just a tremendous film.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
came for the wild west, got ambushed by storytelling
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
A la pelÃcula le sobra media hora, Brad Pitt tiene un rol más que imponente en este drama western repleto de actuaciones celebres y de un casting repleto de estrellas que no paran de brillar, el tÃtulo de la pelÃcula desvela todo pero aún asà es un camino que se debe recorrer para conocer la historia del perdedor mas grande del mundo Robert Ford.
