10 Notorious Box Office Bombs That Are Actually Pretty Good
4. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Budget: $30m Box Office: $15m RT: 76%
On paper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford had 'awards contender' written all over it; critically-acclaimed writer/director Andrew Dominik's first movie in seven years was adapted from a best-selling novel which was itself based on a legendary piece of American folklore, with a brilliant ensemble cast led by Brad Pitt that also featured Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard, Jeremy Renner and Sam Rockwell.
Despite being released in the midst of awards season to an enthusiastic critical response, the movie didn't make enough of an impact at the box office to receive a nationwide expansion, reaching only 300 theaters across the country in its widest release, grossing only $3.9m. One of the most overlooked movies of 2007, the slow-burning Western featured on the top ten list of many respected publications within the industry, with word-of-mouth seeing it earn almost as much in home video sales as it did at the multiplex.
With Dominik's assured direction backed by Roger Deakins' typically stunning (and Academy Award nominated) cinematography, Jesse James may run a little too long at nearly 160 minutes but still provides a superbly-acted, engrossing and intelligent period piece with Casey Affleck's turn as the titular coward in particular one of the best supporting performances of recent years.