The dang title of this movie is so long it doesn't even fit in the subject line. Anyway, I saw this joint last Saturday and walked away with decidedly mixed feelings. On one hand, I thought this was one of the most remarkable and dynamic films (of any genre) that I've seen in a while. On the other hand I thought it was one of the most bloated and pretentious wankfests I've seen in a long time. There were times where I wanted to throw something at the screen and there were times where I wished everyone else in the theater would just leave so that I could be alone with this stunning film.
I think in the end, my positive reactions outweigh my negative ones. That's a tribute to the beautiful camera work, the outstanding performances and the simple poetry and grace of the entire piece. The Assassination of Jesse James... is equal parts Babel and Unforgiven. It's also reminds me of another film I still haven't been able to put a finger on three days later.
I mean, we know by the simple title of the movie that Brad Pitt's Jesse James will be dead by the end of the movie. How the story works is that we spend the course of the movie both wishing him dead and wanting him to somehow survive. The true revelation is Casey Affleck as Robert Ford (a.k.a. if for some godawful reason someone decides to make a movie about one Mr. Josh, I nominate either Casey Affleck or Mark Ruffalo to play the title character.) Big brother Ben may have the bigger profile but it appears little brother got the acting chops -- side note: Ben Affleck is actually an incredibly bright guy and I think we'll see his true calling is as a director with his film Gone Baby Gone (also starring Casey.)
Casey's Ford, kinda like Norman Bates so many years ago and like Charlize Theron's Aileen Vuornos in Monster more recently is effective in both creeping us out and evoking our sympathy (the former more than the latter.)
There's more I really want to say but honestly (even at three hours) I feel like I've got to sit through it again. Nevertheless, it's encouraging to see two very smart and well-done westerns released just a few months apart. Is it the start of a trend? Probably not. Either way, TAoJJbtCRF is more than anything a true work of art. I'm hesitant to use the word "masterpiece" but it's a remarkable piece of filmmaking, period.
