DVD Reviews

The Assassination of Jesse James

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• Details: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Mary-Louise Parker

Obsessed with Jesse James (Pitt) from a young age, naive 19-year-old Robert Ford (Affleck) insinuates himself into his gang with the help of his older brother Charley (Rockwell), just to be in the great man's presence. When a train robbery goes badly and some of his gang are captured, an increasingly paranoid James begins taking out his gang one-by-one and only Ford and Charley are treated with any kind of trust, which Ford uses to get closer to the celebrity villain. Adapted from Ron Hansen's novel and directed by Andrew Dominik (Chopper), Assassination.. is an eerie, moody and tense-ridden western, despite the long running time. Dominik is obviously an admirer of the work of Terrence Malick (in particular, Days Of Heaven) and uses a poetic voiceover over sweeping prairie shots. The film is gorgeous to look at (cinematographer Roger Deakins can take another deserved bow), even if it spends more time in the bleak of winter than the summer plains of its opening shots, and it looks like we've got another auteur on our hands. Although director's influence in never far away, this film is all about the performances and there's not a duff one in sight. Pitt might be the big name in town but it's really Affleck's film, and who would have thought that Ben's younger brother could produce a turn so commanding, heartfelt and confident? Despite the comment on contemporary fascination with the celebrity, Assassination.. is, at its heart, a love story; it's no Brokeback Mountain, but there's more than awe of James in the eyes of Robert Ford.
Details: USA / 160mins (15A)

Review by Gavin Burke