Running to two hours and 40 minutes, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a poetic, psychological Western that's worth your time.
The film, directed by Andrew Dominik and based on a novel of the same name, begins in 1881 when James' career is going downhill.
America's legendary train robber and the country's first celebrity outlaw, James (Brad Pitt) is a ruthless murderer who could be laughing heartily one moment and then pulling the trigger the next.
But James, glorified in songs and novels, has many admirers. One of them is Robert Ford (Casey Affleck), who has been collecting books and newspaper articles about the wanted man since childhood. Ford joins the gang and gradually becomes one of James' closest associates.
The film moves slowly, carefully fleshing out the characters as well as painting a barren Western landscape that reflects the emotional emptiness of people who live on the edge.
The ending is filled with irony and sadness, with Ford enjoying his 15 minutes of fame after shooting James in the back and then suffering humiliation as the outlaw gains mythical status after his death.
