SPOILER ALERT: Jesse James dies near the end of the movie. Oh, and the boat sinks at the end of Titanic.

I still remember the first time I ever heard the name “Jesse James.” It was on an episode of the Brady Bunch in which Bobby announced that his new hero was the outlaw Jesse James. Of course Mike and Carol were horrified so greatly that they went to all the trouble to find someone whose family had been killed (decades earlier) by the notorious outlaw. Then Bobby saw how wrong he had been and all was right in the Brady world until Marcia broke her nose in the next episode.

Of course at the time, I had to wonder how Jesse James could have ever been anyone’s hero. Nevertheless, both in James’ own lifetime, and in the years that would follow, he was very much the hero to many people, especially to those in the post Civil War South. He was looked upon as “Robin Hood” character to some, one who as a former Confederate guerrilla stood up to “Northern oppressors” both during the Civil War and afterwards. The real Jesse James was a bit of a psychopath, in spite of his role as a family man and his singing in the church choir. But of course, the neighbors of serial killers are always shocked, too, because after all, “he seemed so normal.”

The James brothers were so popular in their day that when Frank James finally turned himself in (not depicted in the movie), he only faced two trials and no jury would sentence him to jail time, let alone pass down a death sentence which the average criminal of his day committing similar crimes would have surely received.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is also the name of the novel by Ron Hansen upon which the screenplay was based. According to the trivia at the Internet Movie Database, Brad Pitt (who stars as Jesse James) had a clause in his contract that would not allow the name of the movie to be changed. No doubt he was concerned that some studio executive with more power than insight might feat that the title is too long. And perhaps it is, but within that title the entire plot (and perspective) of the movie is told.

In the original novel Hansen attempted to write an account that may have been truer to the actual events as opposed to a lot of the sensationalized accounts surrounding Jesse James that began to appear even within the outlaw’s lifetime. Certain elements such as dialogue and even motives are fictionalized, but the fiction is based upon known events and reasoned speculation. Due to this approach, the movie is not the fast paced, action packed western that many fans of the genre may be used to. In fact, the story simply plods along at times, but this is not by accident. The events surrounding James’ death are complex and the creators of this movie take the time to introduce characters and establish intricate relationships. The original cut came in at an epic length of four hours, but the studio required that it be cut further; and the final running time is two hours and forty minutes.

Brad Pitt is a decent enough actor, but I admit that I have trouble suspending disbelief when he appears in a period piece such as this. Although he delivered a realistic enough portrait of Jesse James, I don’t think I ever forgot who I was watching on the screen. In my opinion, Pitt is better cast in movies such as the Ocean’s trilogy in which he and most of the other actors are playing characters not too far removed from their actual personalities. Nevertheless, Pitt has played enough bad boy roles that as Jesse James, he still kept me, as a viewer, on edge for most of the picture, unsure of what he might do next in an unpredictable rage. But was this James or Pitt? I might feel the same way in Pitt’s actual presence. He strikes me as one of those guys who knocks the soda in your lap just for a laugh and to get a reaction.

Part of the reason Pitt was able to keep me on edge was due largely to the outstanding performance by Casey Affleck who played Robert Ford. Despite Pitt’s top billing, the movie is mostly told from Ford’s point of view. Affleck expertly portrays the insecure, hero-worshiping friend-turned-traitor, Robert Ford. In his first scene when Ford is trying to persuade Frank James to let him be his “sidekick” for a train robbery, Affleck demonstrates Ford’s uncertainty and admiration at the same time by rushing his words and failing to look James in the eye. Affleck’s portrayal of Robert Ford reminded me of a fellow in high school I knew who wasn’t initially part of a popular clique but became accepted by them nonetheless. And after his acceptance, his enthusiasm to fit in became obnoxious to the point that he actually began to view his new clique with contempt and eventually moved on to another. I remember some of the fellows saying, “We created a monster.”

In Ford’s admiration of the James brothers’ celebrity, he desired to have celebrity of his own which he found by turning on his mentor, Jesse James. But Ford’s celebrity would be short lived as he turned from being the man who brought down the most infamous outlaw of the 19th century to the one sung of as “the coward who shot Mr. Howard” (one of Jesse James’ aliases).

More interesting to me than the movie itself was the documentary included on the disc that provided the factual background to the movie including a social-psychological profile on James regarding what may have made him into the person he was and what led up to his assassination by one of his own gang members. However, the documentary would not have been as intriguing without seeing the movie first. Other than this, the disc is bereft of any additional features. Despite Blu-ray’s claim to 50 GB per disc, studios seem to rarely take advantage of the disc’s capacity. Despite the excellent high def movie experience, if Blu-ray fails to catch on, it may be from distributors creating limited offerings while charging premium prices.

My copy of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford came through my NetFlix subscription. The movie is good enough for a rental, but unless you have other interests in the historical character or the period, I don’t recommend it for your private collection.