Sunday, November 23, 2008

1161 - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford


This is a very peculiar film. It's got all the right technical aspects to it. Deakins shot the shit out of it and it's gorgeous. It's cast is top-notch including roles for people like Mary Louise Parker and Zooey Deschanel, both whom I love, that are mostly wasted in this film. Knowing that there was a four-hour version of this film I can only assume that those talented actresses had more to do at some point.
This film just kind of floats along a bit like a dream, but I'm not quite sure what the point it's trying to make is. It gets lost and a little muddled. It's by no means a bad film, it's just not a great one. It sits in that worth-watching range, on a weekend afternoon. I still prefer Fuller's "I Shot Jesse James" and encourage anyone with an interest in this story to check that out. It's available on DVD now.
Worth the watch, even with a running time near three hours.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

God, this movie bored the hell outta me.