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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

  • 2007
  • R
  • 2h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
187K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,017
414
Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Trailer for "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
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BiographyCrimeDrama

Robert Ford, who's idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the reforming gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader.Robert Ford, who's idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the reforming gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader.Robert Ford, who's idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the reforming gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader.

  • Director
    • Andrew Dominik
  • Writers
    • Andrew Dominik
    • Ron Hansen
  • Stars
    • Brad Pitt
    • Casey Affleck
    • Sam Shepard
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    187K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,017
    414
    • Director
      • Andrew Dominik
    • Writers
      • Andrew Dominik
      • Ron Hansen
    • Stars
      • Brad Pitt
      • Casey Affleck
      • Sam Shepard
    • 521User reviews
    • 279Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 26 wins & 70 nominations total

    Videos17

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    Trailer 2:22
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    Photos174

    Andrew Dominik in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
    Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
    Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
    Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Pat Healy, and Lauren Calvert in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
    Casey Affleck and Sam Rockwell in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
    Sam Rockwell in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
    Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
    Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
    Sam Rockwell in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
    Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
    James Carville, Michael Parks, and Myrna Vallance in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
    Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard, Sam Rockwell, Garret Dillahunt, Jeremy Renner, and Paul Schneider in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Brad Pitt
    Brad Pitt
    • Jesse James
    Casey Affleck
    Casey Affleck
    • Robert Ford
    Sam Shepard
    Sam Shepard
    • Frank James
    Mary-Louise Parker
    Mary-Louise Parker
    • Zee James
    Brooklynn Proulx
    Brooklynn Proulx
    • Mary James
    Dustin Bollinger
    Dustin Bollinger
    • Tim James
    Sam Rockwell
    Sam Rockwell
    • Charley Ford
    Jeremy Renner
    Jeremy Renner
    • Wood Hite
    Garret Dillahunt
    Garret Dillahunt
    • Ed Miller
    Paul Schneider
    Paul Schneider
    • Dick Liddil
    Joel McNichol
    Joel McNichol
    • Express Messenger
    James Defelice
    • Baggagemaster
    • (as James DeFelice)
    J.C. Roberts
    • Engineer
    Darrell Orydzuk
    • Ukrainian Train Passenger
    Jonathan Erich Drachenberg
    • Young Train Passenger
    Torben Hansen
    • Danish Train Passenger
    • (as Torben S. Hansen)
    Alison Elliott
    Alison Elliott
    • Martha Bolton
    Lauren Calvert
    • Ida
    • Director
      • Andrew Dominik
    • Writers
      • Andrew Dominik
      • Ron Hansen
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Cinematographer Roger Deakins has called the arrival of the train in darkness is one of the high points of his career.
    • Goofs
      Jesse James uses the term "gunslinger" but this term didn't come into use until at least the 1920's. Terms for outlaw gunmen appropriate for the time would have been gunman, pistoleer, shootist, or even gunfighter.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Narrator: He was ashamed of his persiflage, his boasting, his pretensions of courage and ruthlessness; he was sorry about his cold-bloodedness, his dispassion, his inability to express what he now believed was the case- that he truly regretted killing Jesse, that he missed the man as much as anybody and wished his murder hadn't been necessary. Even as he circulated his saloon he knew that the smiles disappeared when he passed by. He received so many menacing letters that he could read them without any reaction except curiosity. He kept to his apartment all day, flipping over playing cards, looking at his destiny in every King and Jack. Edward O'Kelly came up from Bachelor at one P.M. on the 8th. He had no grand scheme. No strategy. No agreement with higher authorities. Nothing but a vague longing for glory, and a generalized wish for revenge against Robert Ford. Edward O'Kelly would be ordered to serve a life sentence in the Colorado Penitentiary for second degree murder. Over seven thousand signatures would eventually be gathered in a petition asking for O'Kelly's release, and in 1902, Governor James B. Ullman would pardon the man. There would be no eulogies for Bob, no photographs of his body would be sold in sundries stores, no people would crowd the streets in the rain to see his funeral cortege, no biographies would be written about him, no children named after him, no one would ever pay twenty-five cents to stand in the rooms he grew up in. The shotgun would ignite, and Ella Mae would scream, but Robert Ford would only lay on the floor and look at the ceiling, the light going out of his eyes before he could find the right words.

    • Crazy credits
      The film does not contain either an opening title nor intro credits. The film title is displayed first after the final fadeout.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Brave One/The Hottest State/Mr. Woodcock/In the Valley of Elah/Across the Universe (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      The Ballad of Jesse James
      Traditional

      Arranged by Nick Cave

      Performed by Nick Cave

    User reviews521

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    A hauntingly beautiful film
    Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, is a deliberately paced, stunningly visualized, and emotionally charged exploration of the early development of mass media celebrity in America. The film riveted my attention for two hours and 40 minutes, and has remained on my mind for several days after my viewing. Although centered on one of the iconic legends of the Old West, it is far beyond an updated reincarnation of the Western. It is an epic allegory about the development of the American cult of celebrity and the effects of this obsession on the individuals caught in its web.

    Visually, the film soars beyond anything that has hit the screen since Conrad Hall's final masterpiece with Road to Perdition. Roger Deakins, the cinematography genius behind The Shawshank Redemption, Kundun, and all the Cohen brothers" films since The Hudsucker Proxy, surpasses his best work. He pulls out all the stops here—intricately orchestrated changes in focus, richly textured colors, dazzling use of light sources, careful manipulations of time, powerfully significant fade-ins and fade-outs, and shots through rain, snow, and rippled old glass—to communicate the story. Deakins' contribution stands out in the railroad train robbery sequence at the beginning of the film. Clearly defined, flickering light sources and deep black shadows create a dazzling, nightmarish vision that haunts the rest of the film. This sequence alone is worth the price of admission.

    The richly textured, historically precise visual aspects of the film bring to mind Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven and Robert Altman's McCabe and Mrs. Miller. However, instead of the understated, "realistic" performances featured in those films, The Assassination of Jesse James…showcases powerful, yet still realistic performances by an outstanding ensemble cast.

    Sam Rockwell, as the not-too-bright but well-meaning Charley Ford, and Mary-Louise Parker, as Jesse's loving wife, stand out. Yet the film belongs to the two titular leads, both of whom deliver the performances of their careers and create characters filled with disturbing contradictions. Brad Pitt's Jesse James is alternately pitiable and terrifying—an affectionate, loving father, an old-before-his-time sage, an adventurous daredevil, an unrepentant bad boy, and a vicious sociopath. Casey Affleck's Robin Ford is a complex, repellent, and tragic character who challenges the audience's complicity in the undercurrents of the film.

    All in all, this is a great film—not for those seeking the simple pleasures of instant gratification. But definitely worth the attention of those who still believe that movies are an art form.
    helpful•479
    78
    • rick-j-walsh
    • Oct 16, 2007

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    FAQ4

    • What were Robert Ford's "right words"?
    • Why such a long name?
    • Why was Sam Shepard cast as the 38-year-old Frank James?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 19, 2007 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Canada
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Warner Bros. (United States)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Danish
    • Also known as
      • The Assassination of Jesse James
    • Filming locations
      • Fort Edmonton Park - Fox Drive and Whitemud Drive, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada(Exterior)
    • Production companies
      • Warner Bros.
      • Jesse Films Inc.
      • Scott Free Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $30,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $3,909,149
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $147,812
      • Sep 23, 2007
    • Gross worldwide
      • $15,001,776
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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