A Review of the Movie The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford by the Critic Nat Pickering for the Middlebrow Film Society

This film went largely unnoticed in the theaters last fall, but it deserves a second life now that it is available for home viewing. …Jesse James… features great interplay between a stable of exciting actors (Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, and Sam Rockwell get the most screen time, but their supporting players are just as compelling). Writer Director Andrew Dominik (Chopper) has removed machismo and swagger from the Western and replaced both with ample portions of paranoia and psychological torment. Perhaps the film's greatest achievement is that it is able to build suspense and interest for an event that is a foregone conclusion (the title describes the climax pretty clearly) over two and a half hours and the viewer does not leave feeling ripped off. Don’t be scared by the long title and running time. You will be surprised that this movie did not cause more commotion upon its initial release.