Formerly "A Movie A Day" :/

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - 2007 - Dir. Dominik

I don't really know what I held against Casey Affleck. But I remember that being one of the primary reasons for not really wanting to see the film. I think I was just confusing him with Scott Caan... or maybe I had had enough of the Affleck family what with Ben running around... doing Ben Affleck things. Well, either way, I was unfair. Casey Affleck's a pretty badass actor. Well, not badass, Robert Ford is NOT a badass. Affleck knew how to play the poor wormy fella. And really gave him so much depth that I felt bad calling him wormy just then. I mean, I like Brad Pitt, but Pitt totally doesn't catch anyone by surprise. He's just great. He's a great actor. And I love his stupid insane laugh. It's the STOOPIDEST! I was a little turned off by the length originally, even though the cast is OUTSTANDING. It really is a sweet cast, and it better be, because this is not a western with a lot of action. It's a crazy psychological drama. Ford kills the man he admired since he was a child. Affleck really runs us through a gamut of emotions, making the two hour forty minutes production very gripping. I wasn't bored for a moment. I feel like we spend most of the picture trying to pierce these two characters, who are constantly a little out of reach. The film is shot beautifully... ALL THE TIME. Which I can appreciate... but it can be so tough... I get a little mad when a movie is beautiful all the time. I suppose Dominik must have a touch of Mallick in him because I had no issue with the IMMENSE MAJESTY of the film. Maybe because one of the first sequences is the train robbery. WHICH LOOKS RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME. Also Sam Shepard is in it, and he's awesome. So is Sam Rockwell. They are both awesome guys. Oh, I also really liked Paul Schneider as Dick Liddil. I know that actor sort of pops up now and then. But he was great!

Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt... that's an all right duo. But Casey Affleck and Scott Caan? Now THAT'S ACTING!

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