The Assassination of Jesse James

For what it's worth, I did like The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which I just saw this week. I give it an A on historical accuracy. They got the dates and general events right. Historically, Robert Ford probably wasn't in on that train robbery although his brother Charlie likely was there, but with everyone masked, only the gang would know for sure. On the other hand, in the film Frank James called his little brother by his nickname, "Dingus;" Jesse called Frank by his nickname, "Buck." And there was just the right amount of realism. Those old thumbbuster six-guns of that period could blow a hole right through a person, but the blood-splatter was minimal. And the people when shot fell straight down, instead of appearing to be blown across the room; at least one Hollywood director knows something about the laws of physics in that each action has an equal reaction. A gun with the power to knock a person back several feet when hit would have a recoil that also would send the shooter flying several feet in the opposite direction.

so was the movie good? i mean i know a little about Jesse, obviously not as much as you but if i just wanted to enjoy a good flick. With a little interest in the subject would i still enjoy it?

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I quite liked the movie but it is not Brad Pitt's best. Moreover, in terms of outlaw type films i preferred Heath Ledger in Ned Kelly. Nevertheless, this is a decent movie even if you are not that interested in the topic.

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I have a strong interest in History, especially American history particularly in the 19th century. Like the Bob Ford character in the film, I grew up hearing a lot about Jesse James. When I was a kid, I knew all the verses of the song about the death of Jesse James. Later when I started reading past the folk-lore, I found that Jesse was the benefactor of a great publicity department, primarly a pro-Confederate Missouri editor who wrote the damnest lies justifying the mayhem committed by the James gang. If you know something about the legends and history of Jesse and Frank James and of Robert and Charlie Ford, the film is more interesting because you can pick up on a lot of nuances in the film. But you can probably still enjoy it as just another popcorn-selling oater.

alright them i am getting it now! i will let you know what i thought!

Actually, it's the first of Pitt's films that I could stand. It helped that the beard covered his face, so I didn't think of him as just a pretty boy. That may sound terrible to some, but it's hard for me to watch a film with guys like Pitt and Redford who are prettier than the women they're playing against. Real guys don't look that good!

Incidentally, what did you like about the Ned Kelly remake? It reminded me a lot of the one made years ago with Mick Jagger in the role, but that's not surprising since both pretty well followed the known facts. Maybe the remake was slightly more accurate.

Next week, we will begin our MoFo Movie Club discussion of The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford, so I'm not going to go into what I think of it again now, except the last thing I'd call it is a "popcorn-selling oater". It grossed $4,000,000 domestically.

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I love The Assassination of Jesse James film is much better than 3:10 to Yuma.

This movie is one of best year. This movie is too long but it has great story-lines and not boring. I LOVE IT.

No way is it better than 3:10 to Yuma (though i prefer the original 3:10 to Yuma). Good story in Jesse James but not the best.

How the same movie's title resolves the end??

it was LONGGGGG

I'm not into loving movies, but I thought this Jesse James saga had a different and interesting approach and showed more of the history and less of the myth than previous films about the James gang. I agree it was much better than the 3:10 remake in that it was more like a real western than a fantasy like 3:10.