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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a 2007 Western drama film adapted from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name. The film is directed by Andrew Dominik, with Brad Pitt portraying Jesse James and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford. Filming took place in Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg. Initially intended for a 2006 release, the film was postponed and re-edited for a September 21, 2007 release.
The Assassination of Jesse James was slated for a September 15, 2006 release, The release date was postponed to February 2007 at first, but ultimately set for a September 21, 2007 release, almost two years after filming was completed.
The film opened in limited release on September 21, 2007, in 5 theaters and grossed $147,812 in its opening weekend, an average of $29,256 per theater.
As of October 16, 2007 on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 72% fresh rating from 99 reviews and 59% from the Cream of the Crop . On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 67 out of 100, based on 21 reviews.
Critics who disliked the film felt it was too long. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter said the relationship between Pitt and Affleck "gets smothered in pointlessly long takes, repetitive scenes, grim Western landscapes and mumbled, heavily accented dialogue." Los Angeles Daily News critic Bob Strauss gave the film 21⁄2 stars out of 4 and said "To put it most bluntly, the thing is just too long and too slow" and said "Every element of this Western is beautifully rendered. So why is it a chore to sit through?" Pam Grady of Reel.com gave the film 2 stars out of 4 and said "The movie is merely a long, empty exercise in style." Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com said the film "represents a breakthrough in the moviegoing experience. It may be the first time we've been asked to watch a book on tape."
Jesse James' descendants have effusively praised the film, specifically singling out Affleck and Pitt for their performances.Wikipedia |
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