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In the late 1800s, the James Brothers were legendary. Even though they were outlaws�wanted criminals who shot first and asked questions later�they were infamous. People even seemed to admire them. But no one idolized them more than Bob Ford (Casey Affleck), a young man who wanted nothing more than to hook up with the James Brothers and become a gun-slinging outlaw.
Finally, in 1881, at the ripe old age of 19, Bob gets his chance�when his brother, Charley (Sam Rockwell), is brought in to help the James Brothers with a train robbery. Bob tags along, eager to be accepted into the gang�but it�s pretty clear that Frank (Sam Shepard) and Jesse James (Brad Pitt) think he�s just a stupid kid.
Eventually, after Frank decides to move on and start a new life, Bob gets closer to Jesse. When he�s not robbing banks, the 34-year-old outlaw is a family man�a respectable citizen. But he�s slowly growing more and more paranoid�and the more Bob gets to know Jesse, the more he starts to fear for his life.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a film that�s driven by strong, memorable characters, portrayed through brilliant performances. Pitt�s Jesse James is shrewd but paranoid�and more than a little bit unstable. On the other hand, Affleck�s Ford is meek and trusting�and maybe not all that bright. He�d do anything to fit in�not realizing the cost until it�s too late.
In addition to the solid characters, the film tells an interesting story, and it makes some thought-provoking points along the way. The problem, however, is that the film is even longer�and more rambling�than its title. After two years on the editing table, it still weighs in at a whopping two hours and forty minutes�much of which is spent on meandering subplots, lengthy close-ups, and long, sweeping shots of the Missouri countryside in various seasons. And the story is often told not through action but through long passages of audiobook-style narration. After a while, I found myself struggling to pay attention, hoping that Ford would just shoot him and get it over with already.
The Assassination of Jesse James is definitely a beautiful film�and the acting is spectacular. And had it been a half hour�or maybe even an hour�shorter, it could have been a slow yet satisfying western, like 3:10 to Yuma. Instead, it�s just plain slow.
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