10 Most Ambitious Westerns Movies Ever Made
5. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
This 2007 epic revisionist piece is a contemplative and understated work of American Western cinema, marking a tonal and formal approach to western outlaw stories distinct from the traditional.
Tracing the events which led to outlaw Jesse James' (Brad Pitt) death at the hands of Robert Ford (Casey Affleck), a man desperate to join James' gang, Andrew Dominik's film is a study in inevitability, as the title should let you know. This isn't a case of 'who killed James' as much as 'why.' The result is a meditation on how Old West legends were created, as opposed to just a stock presentation of one such legend.
Studio interference is a familiar aspect of the films on this list and Dominik's picture is no different, with the film finally releasing in February 2007 despite a September 2006 date initially slated, after reediting. In the case of this film, however, the quality of the performances and writing was enough to push through, toping numerous critics' lists of the best films of that year. Indeed, Pitt's performance is one of the finest of his career and deserves to be seen by any discerning Western fan.