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Even though from the opening scene, you know how this film is going to end, I was hooked. First there is the outstanding cinematography, not only of the landscapes but of the various nuances the camera explores of each character. Then there is the acting. Outstanding doesn't even come close to describing it. Brad Pitt shows us a Jesse James we've never seen portrayed in film before. A moody, dangerous man with a charisma that captured the imagination of the common folk of the day. I have never seen Brad Pitt act this well. Absolutely astounding and spellbinding. And then there is Casey Affleck's Robert Ford, a twenty year old who is so obsessed with Jesse that today's society would call him a stalker, and that's exactly what he was, and Affleck brings a life to this character that no other actor ever has in the past. And there is Sam Shepard as Frank James, again, portrayed a way you've never seen the character portrayed before. In fact all the characters and members of the James gang bring a realism I have never seen before. You watch this film and you say to yourself, " this is how it was" .
Based on the Ron Hansen novel, the screenplay was written by Andrew Dominik and directed by him as well. And though it is 2 hours and forty minutes long ( I'm sure some may find it too slow, perhaps even boring for a western ) I felt the pace was necessary to tell the story and allow for indepth character development.
I watched it on Blu-ray. The colors were somewaht muted, in fact almost a sepiatone, but there were scenes, especially where patches of prairie grass peeked through a snowywhite landscape, where I felt like i was looking out my back window. The audio is nothing special until you hear the gunshots, because they sound exactly like gunshots: loud and frightening.
If you are expecting a classic bang bang western, forget it. This is a film about dangerous people in a dangerous time, and you will find yourself transported to the late 1800s and believing everything you see and hear.
A must own for any collector of the genere. See it. Own it. Hell, I will be watching it again before the week is out. :T
Based on the Ron Hansen novel, the screenplay was written by Andrew Dominik and directed by him as well. And though it is 2 hours and forty minutes long ( I'm sure some may find it too slow, perhaps even boring for a western ) I felt the pace was necessary to tell the story and allow for indepth character development.
I watched it on Blu-ray. The colors were somewaht muted, in fact almost a sepiatone, but there were scenes, especially where patches of prairie grass peeked through a snowywhite landscape, where I felt like i was looking out my back window. The audio is nothing special until you hear the gunshots, because they sound exactly like gunshots: loud and frightening.
If you are expecting a classic bang bang western, forget it. This is a film about dangerous people in a dangerous time, and you will find yourself transported to the late 1800s and believing everything you see and hear.
A must own for any collector of the genere. See it. Own it. Hell, I will be watching it again before the week is out. :T
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