Cast: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Mary Louise-Parker, Sam Shepard

Director: Andrew Dominik

Screenplay: Andrew Dominik

Running time: 2 hrs 40 mins

Genre: Western/Drama



CRITIQUE:


This is an odd beast – a Western without rollicking action, an outlaw movie without the hot-on-the-heels chase, a cowboy film without the outback adventure. Instead this is a Western drama (no worries, this is no BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN), a territorial genre only a few ever traverse, that callously suggests to some as tedious, long-drawn and heavy-lidded. The last film of the sort was THERE WILL BE BLOOD, and no matter how magisterial it was, surely it made aplenty fall asleep in cinemas. This, precisely, is Andrew Dominik’s greatest challenge: to make his film engrossing and keeping his audience wide awake, providing cinematic caffeine to this tale. The result is impressive and breathtaking. This sophomore effort by one Australian director, whose debut was the low-key CHOPPER, is promising. He has the keen scope of a Terrence Malick and the virtuosity of a Clint Eastwood. And what he enlivened here, just like the two aforementioned recent Western films, is the humanisation of the genre. Here, every bullet fired has a reason, every mischief has depth, every swagger has an arc, and every act of betrayal is a sign of tragedy. This is what makes this film great; a truly unique Western drama that could deservedly be given the label as a contemporary classic.


The title says it all pretty much with regards to plot, that by the time you say it (in one long articulation that could leave you gasping for air) you’ll know what it’s all about. And by this, you’ll know how it’s going to end, too. But rest assured, the tale’s much deeper than what the title suggests. Another thing’s for certain, just like its title, this film is bordering on the longeur your granddad warned you about, these Westerns. What could have been a dose of sleeping pills is a highly absorbing study of human frailties, a complex weave of psychological despairs, and an analysis of hero worship. Jesse James, one of America’s fabled figures, whose name was bigger than the President’s in the late 19th century, here is examined during his last days. In an unmaking of a hero, from a petty robber to a Robin Hood figure, he was both marvelled and despised, local tabloid crucifixion ensues. Hidden under his shadow is one Robert Ford, a 19-year old sensationalist, whose ambition and admiration turns into bitter retribution.


Brad Pitt gives starpower to this cinematic affair, lending impeccable feet and gravitas to Jesse James’s boots. His talent never fluctuates as an actor here, masking a tormented soul beneath the almost soulless exterior. His Jesse James don’t linger the screen for long, as his figure drifts around like the character himself, one that is from a legendary lore. His intimidating laughs are fronts, and surprisingly, his emotions are its best at his quietest, in which there is a raw anxiety when he shakes with anguish. From a family-loving man, there is a deranged, desolate person underneath. We are reminded that this is, after all, the actor who made the role of Tyler Durden in FIGHT CLUB iconic.


His sidekick, in the interim, Casey Affleck is a talent to be reckoned with. Mr Ben Affleck’s small-brother has come a long way, and that Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor last year was without a question. It’s a hateful character he played, yet with his panache, there’s a hint of sympathy, a disappointed follower in his role. This trembling, feeble young man is after all, still a child in his mentality. So when Robert Ford sees his idol’s flaws, losing faith in his being human, he becomes a tragedy himself. “I wonder whether you want to be like me, or be me”, as James uttered – and the stupendous final act, where the assassination event had befallen (cue Mary Louise-Parker’s small yet effective role as James’s considerate wife), there is an extended epilogue where Affleck pulls out a stunning character depth, as his act of courageousness became his downfall. Soon he could differentiate the difference between bravery and cowardice.


These characters’ inner turmoil is captured by the employment of Roger Deakins’ lens-perfect cinematography, where his sepia-tinged landscapes mirror the desolation of its living humans. No screen angle is a misstep here, framing either the windswept Western pastures or the barrenness of wintry grounds with such finesse that this could be an ultimately fine work of photography. The effect is dreamlike, the sort of a distant whisper of a memory, and rather beautiful. Even how this story is told, with the unmentioned narrator, is fastidious: like those tales told in a campfire, of heroes and villains, of tragedies and fate.



VERDICT:

If you’re looking for slam-bang action entertainment you’d expect in a Western, run away from this. But if a sense of character study is right on your alley, ignore the length, for this is hugely rewarding, an arthouse filmmaking. Magnificently shot and directed with elegance, this is cinematic poetry at its finest with terrific, unforgettable performances by Pitt and Affleck. By the time you finish watching this, you’ll never regret having seen it.



RATING: A+