8. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
The Movie: Jesse James is an outlaw. There is a big price on his head. Robert Ford slowly worms his way into Jesse James gang. With the help of his brothers he eventually kills him. Now thats out of the way, we can make a film. You imagine that was the approach Andrew Dominik took to his sprawling western; get the broad strokes sorted with the audience so we can move onto the more interesting stuff. Because although the film contains lots of character through-lines and puts a lot of emphasis on the character's journies, what pushes Assassination into greatness is the artistry. Like Killing Them Softly since, Dominik uses a range of visual ticks to build an ever changing atmosphere that enraptures you more than questions of whether Brad Pitt will make it to the end ever could. What The Title Gives Away: Are you seriously asking?
