The Assassination Of Jesse James WAS THE BEST film that came out in 2007, and without a doubt was completely snubbed from the 2008 Academy Awards, besides supporting actor which it was nominated for and should have won by miles.

To say this film was fantastic is a understatement, it was brilliant and walked all over the other films that came out in 2007, and for me that is fantastic. Though it was followed closely by There Will Be Blood. The film focuses around the famous outlaw Jesse James and the aftermath of his gangs last robbery, the Blue Cut train heist. What follows is a character study of 2 people, one of Jesse James as he soon becomes a psychopath, and the other Robert Ford the man who would ultimately kill Jesse James.

The 2 characters are completely fascinating, on the one hand you have Robert Ford who completely idols Jesse to the point of obsession, and realizes soon enough that what was written in the dime novels he read as a child about the outlaw were far from who he was in real life. On the other hand you have Jesse, who becomes paranoid, obsessed and completely psychotic, he knows his time is nearing an end and it’s very much about the character realizing this and embracing his death.

The film is both about death and about the obsession that comes with the celebrity status, as you can tell from the title which makes the film sound utterly pretentious (which the film itself isn’t), Jesse James is killed. You may think it’s then end when that happens but it isn’t and Robert Ford must deal with the consequences of killing such a huge public figure.

The film is beautifully shot and its visual approach really excels the story. The shots and cinematography are jaw dropping. The film is not told in your typical western fashion, what I think is that it’s a western Terrance Malick would make, but in the hands of another writer and director and a Terrance Malick film is a great thing to be compared to.

The film has some of the best performances I have seen from that year. The supporting cast does an exceptional job, performances that stand out are Sam Rockwell who plays Robert Fords brother. The applause must go to the 2 leads, Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck who really give their all. Casey Affleck should have hands down been given a supporting actor award, he plays a sniveling weasel so well. But in my opinion the show stealer is Brad Pitt who plays Jesse James. He is exceptional in the film and it really comes across that he is turning more and more into a psychopath.

the film was the masterpiece of 2007 and I highly recommend that people watch this. It’s a long film, about 2 and a half hours long. But hey it’s not boring by any stretch of the imagination. And besides if you can sit through Return Of The King which is 3 hours long you can sit through this. I really think people should watch this and appreciate it not only as a film, but a piece of art.