The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Short description
The outlaw Jesse James has become the most feared and celebrated figure in the American West, his name carried through newspapers and dime novels while he and his brother Frank lead a gang blamed for a string of train, stagecoach and bank robberies. It is 1881, and the authorities are closing in, the reward on Jesse's head drawing opportunists. Into this world comes Robert Ford, a young admirer who talks his way into the gang and attaches himself to the man he has long idolised. As Jesse grows suspicious of those around him, Robert's devotion curdles, and the pair's relationship moves toward the act named in the title.
Andrew Dominik wrote and directed this western, his second feature after Chopper and one that sits between that debut and Killing Them Softly, Blonde, and Bono: Stories of Surrender. Brad Pitt, who also produced alongside Ridley Scott and David Valdes, plays James, with Casey Affleck as Robert Ford and Sam Rockwell as his brother Charley. The supporting cast includes Paul Schneider, Jeremy Renner and Garret Dillahunt, among a credited cast of 39 and crew of 167.
Made for about 30 million dollars, the film returned roughly half that amount at the worldwide box office, a poor commercial result. Its reputation rests instead on assessment: a critics' rating of 7.6/10 across 174 reviews, higher than the audience scores of 7.5/10 on IMDb from 203,000 votes and 7.1/10 on TMDB from 2,880 votes.
What's left behind the scenes
- Garrett Dillahunt was originally slated to play the role of Robert Ford's brother, Charlie, and received it due to his physical resemblance to Casey Affleck. However, due to the actor’s commitments to television projects, the decision was reconsidered, and Sam Rockwell ultimately took on the role. Dillahunt settled for the much smaller role of one of the gang members – Edward Miller.
- The film is based on Ron Hansen's novel 'The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford' (1983).
- The town of Creed, Colorado, where a significant portion of the film's events take place, was recreated on a set costing $1 million.
- Living descendants of the legendary Jesse James have spoken very warmly about the film, particularly praising the performances of the two actors in the lead roles – Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck.
- At Brad Pitt's insistence, a special clause was included in his contract stipulating that the film's title could not be changed under any circumstances.
- Casey Affleck and Shia LaBeouf were the main contenders for the role of Robert Ford. The role ultimately went to Affleck, as LaBeouf was considered too young for it.
- The film's initial release date was scheduled for September 2006, but due to creative differences between director Andrew Dominik and the studio, as well as unsuccessful test screenings, the premiere was postponed twice, first to February 2007 and then to September 2007.
- Filming took place from August 9 to December 10, 2005, primarily in the Canadian province of Alberta. A number of scenes were also shot in the historic Exchange District of the Canadian city of Winnipeg.
- During filming, Brad Pitt was nine years older than Jesse James was at the time of his death.
- The initial version of the film lasted four hours. But Warner Bros. studio intervened and cut the film by almost an hour and a half.
- In 1863, while still a teenager, Jesse James lost part of his middle finger on his left hand, and this injury is revealed to the audience in one of the opening scenes of the film. In this and all subsequent scenes, the upper part of the corresponding finger of Brad Pitt, who played him, was carefully obscured using computer graphics.
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