The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Image:Assassination poster.jpg
Directed by Andrew Dominik
Produced by Ridley Scott
Jules Daly
Brad Pitt
Dede Gardner
David Valdes
Written by Novel:
Ron Hansen
Screenplay:
Andrew Dominik
Starring Brad Pitt
Casey Affleck
Mary-Louise Parker
Sam Shepard
Music by Nick Cave
Warren Ellis
Cinematography Roger Deakins
Editing by Dylan Tichenor
Michael Kahn
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) Image:Flag of the United States.svg September 21, 2007
Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg November 30, 2007
Running time 160 minutes
Country Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States
Language English
Budget $30 million[1]
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a 2007 Western drama film adapted from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name. The film is directed by Andrew Dominik, with Brad Pitt portraying Jesse James and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford. Filming took place in Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg. Initially intended for a 2006 release, the film was postponed and re-edited for a September 21, 2007 release.

Contents

[edit] Plot synopsis

Jesse James (Brad Pitt) is a notorious outlaw who plans a new robbery and combats his enemies, who pursue a bounty on his head. James finds that the danger lies not on the outside, but from within his own group.[2]

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production

In March 2004, Warner Bros. and Plan B Entertainment acquired feature film rights to Hansen's 1983 novel The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Andrew Dominik was hired to direct and write the film adaptation, with actor Brad Pitt being eyed to portray Jesse James.[3] The role of Ford eventually was between Casey Affleck and Shia LaBeouf; Affleck was cast because it was felt that LaBeouf was too young. [[1]] By January 2005, Pitt was cast in the role,[4] and filming began on August 29, 2005 in Calgary.[5] Filming also took place in other parts of Alberta, including McKinnon Flats, Heritage Park, the Fairmont Palliser Hotel, the Kananaskis area, several private ranches[6] and the historic Fort Edmonton Park.[6] The historical town of Creede, Colorado was recreated at a cost of $1 million near Goat Creek in Alberta.[7] Filming also took place in Winnipeg,[8] and concluded in December 2005.[7]

The Assassination of Jesse James was initially edited by director Dominik to be "a dark, contemplative examination of fame and infamy,"[citation needed] similar to the style of director Terrence Malick. The studio opposed Dominik's approach, preferring less contemplation and more action, in line with the directing style of Clint Eastwood. One version of the film had a running time of over three hours. Pitt and Ridley Scott, producers of the film, and editor Michael Kahn collaborated to assemble and test different versions, which did not receive strong scores from test audiences. Despite the negative response, the audiences considered the performances by Pitt and Affleck to be some of their careers' best.[9] Oddly enough Brad Pitt had it written into his contract that the studio could not change the name of the film.

[edit] Release

The Assassination of Jesse James was originally slated for a September 15, 2006 release,[10] The release date was postponed to February 2007 at first,[11] but ultimately set for a September 21, 2007 release,[12] almost two years after filming was completed.[9]

The film opened in limited release on September 21, 2007, in 5 theaters and grossed $147,812 in its opening weekend, an average of $29,256 per theater.[13]

[edit] DVD Release

The Assassination of Jesse James will be released on February 5, 2008.

[edit] Reception

[edit] Critical reaction

As of December 7, 2007 on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 75% fresh rating from 99 reviews and 73% from the Cream of the Crop .[14] On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 68 out of 100, based on 31 reviews.[15]

Brian Tallerico of UGO gave the film an "A" and said it is "the best western since Unforgiven." Tallerico also said "Stunning visuals, award-worthy performances, and a script that takes incredibly rewarding risks, Jesse James is a masterpiece and one of the best films of the year."[16] Kurt Loder of MTV said "If I were inclined to wheel out clichés like 'Oscar-worthy', I'd certainly wheel them out in support of this movie, on several counts."[17] Richard Roeper on the television show Ebert & Roeper said "If you love classic and stylish mood Westerns such as McCabe and Mrs. Miller and The Long Riders, this is your film."[18] The Star-Ledger film critic Stephen Whitty gave the film 4 stars and called it an "epic film that's part literary treatise, part mournful ballad, and completely a portrait of our world, as seen in a distant mirror." Whitty also said that the film is "far superior" and "truer to its own world" than 3:10 to Yuma.[19] Josh Rosenblatt of The Austin Chronicle gave the film 31⁄2 stars and said the film "grabs on to many of the classic tropes of the Western—the meandering passage of time, the imposing landscapes, the abiding loneliness, the casual violence—and sets about mapping their furthest edges."[20]

Film critic Emanuel Levy gave the film an "A" and wrote "Alongside with Joel and Ethan Coen's No Country for Old Men, which is a Western in disguise, or rather a modern Western, Assassination of Jesse James is the second masterpiece of the season." Levy also wrote, "Like Bonnie & Clyde, Dominik's seminal Western is a brilliant, poetic saga of America's legendary criminal as well as meditative deconstruction of our culture's most persistent issues: link of crime and fame, myths of heroism and obsession with celebrity."[21] Lewis Beale of Film Journal International said "Impeccably shot, cast and directed, this is a truly impressive film from sophomore writer-director Andrew Dominik...but suffers from an unfortunate case of elephantiasis." Beale said Casey Affleck is "outstanding in a breakout performance" and said Brad Pitt is "scary and charismatic." Beale wrote, "The director seems so in love with his languorous pacing, he’s incapable of cutting the five or ten seconds in any number of scenes that could have given the film a more manageable running time. In the scheme of things, however, this amounts to little more than a quibble." Beale said that ultimately, the film is "a fascinating, literary-based work that succeeds as both art and genre film."[22]

British critic Mark Kermode named the film as his best of 2007 in his end-of-year review on Simon Mayo's BBC radio programme.

Many critics who disliked the film felt it was too long. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter said the relationship between Pitt and Affleck "gets smothered in pointlessly long takes, repetitive scenes, grim Western landscapes and mumbled, heavily accented dialogue."[23] Los Angeles Daily News critic Bob Strauss gave the film 21⁄2 stars out of 4 and said "To put it most bluntly, the thing is just too long and too slow" and said "Every element of this Western is beautifully rendered. So why is it a chore to sit through?"[24] Pam Grady of Reel.com gave the film 2 stars out of 4 and said "The movie is merely a long, empty exercise in style."[25] Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com said the film "represents a breakthrough in the moviegoing experience. It may be the first time we've been asked to watch a book on tape."[26]

Jesse James' descendants have effusively praised the film, specifically singling out Affleck and Pitt for their performances.[27]

[edit] Awards and nominations

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was identified by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures as one of the top ten films of 2007. The board also awarded actor Casey Affleck as Best Supporting actor in the film.[28] The San Francisco Film Critics Circle named The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford as the Best Picture of 2007. The circle also awarded actor Casey Affleck as best supporting actor for the film. Casey Affleck was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for the upcoming 65th Golden Globe Awards.[29]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Two Sams join Brad Pitt’s movie cast", Calgary Sun, 2005-08-31. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. 
  2. ^ The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - Synopsis. Warner Bros.. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
  3. ^ Michael Fleming. "WB aims for Pitt with 'James'", Variety, 2004-03-17. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. 
  4. ^ Michael Fleming. "Brad motors to WB oater", Variety, 2005-01-24. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. 
  5. ^ Louis B. Hobson. "Brad Pitt's new wife", Calgary Sun, 2005-08-24. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. 
  6. ^ a b Kevin Williamson. "Pitt's wild west showdown", Calgary Sun, 2007-05-06. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. 
  7. ^ a b Louis B. Hobson. "Brad for business", Calgary Sun, 2005-12-02. Retrieved on 2007-06-26. 
  8. ^ Louis B. Hobson. "Brad’s an outlaw", Calgary Sun, 2005-09-07. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. 
  9. ^ a b John Horn. "Brad Pitt's 'Jesse James' comes under fire", Los Angeles Times, 2007-05-02. Retrieved on 2007-05-17. 
  10. ^ Stax. "Superman's New Date", IGN, 2006-05-30. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. 
  11. ^ Kevin Williamson. "Worth the wait", Calgary Sun, 2006-11-05. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. 
  12. ^ Kevin Williamson. "Pitt’s wild west showdown", Calgary Sun, 2007-05-06. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. 
  13. ^ The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) - Weekend Box Office. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2007-09-28.
  14. ^ The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  15. ^ Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The (2007): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2007-09-21.
  16. ^ Brian Tallerico. Assassination of Jesse James Review. UGO. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
  17. ^ Kurt Loder (2007-09-20). 'Jesse James': Best Western, By Kurt Loder. MTV. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
  18. ^ Richard Roeper. Review on Ebert & Roeper. Ebert & Roeper. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
  19. ^ Stephen Whitty (2007-09-21). A 'Jesse' for our times. The Star-Ledger. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
  20. ^ Josh Rosenblatt (2007-09-21). The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
  21. ^ Emanuel Levy. Film Review - Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. EmanuelLevy.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
  22. ^ Lewis Beale. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD. Film Journal International. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
  23. ^ Kirk Honeycutt (2007-08-31). Bottom Line: Pretension and vacuity sabotage a potentially terrific tale of celebrityhood. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
  24. ^ Bob Strauss (2007-09-21). Movies Outlaw comes to life - but oh, so slowly. Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
  25. ^ Pam Grady. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007). Reel.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
  26. ^ The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
  27. ^ Brad Pitt Canonized By James Family - SpoutBlog. Spout.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  28. ^ "Board names ‘No Country’ best film of ’07", MSNBC, 2007-12-05. Retrieved on 2007-12-05. 
  29. ^ HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION 2008 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007. goldenglobes.org (2007-12-13). Retrieved on 2007-12-17.

[edit] External links

fr:L'Assassinat de Jesse James par le lâche Robert Ford it:L'assassinio di Jesse James per mano del codardo Robert Ford hu:Jesse James meggyilkolása, a tettes a gyáva Robert Ford nl:The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford pt:The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford fi:Jesse Jamesin salamurha pelkuri Robert Fordin toimesta tr:Korkak Robert Ford’un Jesse James Suikastı

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