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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford


The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: Aside from having one of the longest names that I have ever seen in a movie, this flick is also the best that I have seen in recent days. I won't go as far as to say that it was a great movie, however, I think it's more fitting to say that it's a decent movie with great characters and great cinematography. Casey Affleck plays the role of Robert Ford, and before long, it becomes painfully obvious that he isn't the kind-of protagonist that you're supposed to love. He comes off as the whiny, bratty, and irritating character that you just find it impossible to cheer for. (that's the point)

Brad Pitt plays Jesse James, and the entire time, I found myself guessing whether or not he was a douche-bag, crazy, feverishly understood, disturbingly harsh or a mixture of all four. While I still think Brad Pitt had his best moments in Fight Club, I do believe that this may be the second best performance that I saw from him. By the time the credits rolled, I was making positive comparisons between Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio's performance in Django Unchained.

The cinematography is a masterpiece, capturing all the scenic illustrations and visuals that you'd come to expect from a western-style movie. And with that comes the bad parts, and that's the pacing. The movie was nearly three-hours and because of it, the movie at times felt like a chore to sit through. Forget about the great acting, great scenery, and in-depth script, I think I heard somebody joke that the movie suffered from elephantiasis, and that's honestly about right. It's like a slice of cake, one layer of chocolate is good, then another, well, uh, maybe, but eventually, it makes for something that is too rich to fully enjoy.

8.0/10.0