The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
· £15,99, Warner
There's no great shame in being ignored by the Oscars. Classic films such as Citizen Kane and The Searchers were barely acknowledged by the Academy. Now this can join those renowned titles. And speaking of titles, perhaps this one was simply too long to engrave on the base of a statuette. Still, this was one of the best movies of last year. Director Andrew Dominik is clearly not a man in a hurry. He spent the seven years since his impressive debut, Chopper, preparing for this. Likewise, the film is in no rush, taking 160 minutes to tell the story of James's killer. As the title states, the film isn't really about James, rather the huge shadow he cast, a fact that many Brad Pitt fans had issue with. The title also tells how history regards Ford, and Casey Affleck delivers a remarkable performance to show how far off the mark that one-note assessment is. The supporting cast all epitomise low-key excellence. No one stands out because they're all so good. On the technical side, Roger Deakins' gorgeous cinematography, full of shifting focus and natural light, sets a new benchmark, and the Nick Cave/Warren Ellis soundtrack surpasses their work on The Proposition.
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