Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck and the film ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’

A recent conversation with Airport Friend and others brought me to a Western directed by Andrew Dominik set in the aftermath of the American Civil War. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) includes true characters from the history of the United States, including outlaw Jesse James, criminal Robert Ford, and others. This blog post highlights the movie and offers a rating on whether you should tune in.

(From left, Mary-Louise Parker as Zee James, Brooklynn Proulx as Mary James, Dustin Bollinger as Tim James and Brad Pitt as Jesse James in the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford).

The core family of Jesse James, as portrayed by Brad Pitt, included Mary-Louise Parker as Zee James as well as the children James and Mary. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford shows Jesse James to ostensibly be a caring and engaged father with his kids, as additions to the leader of thieving outlaws that he also was. A part of the crew when Robert Ford introduces himself into the fray was Robert Ford‘s brother, Charley Ford.

(From left, Casey Affleck as Robert Ford and Sam Rockwell as Charley Ford in the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford).

Casey Affleck portrays Robert Ford whereas Sam Rockwell portrays Charley Ford. Charley Ford is the elder brother of Robert, which proved to be part of the way Robert Ford was introduced to the outlaws. Robert’s initiative with the brother of Jesse James, namely outlaw Frank James, played a part.

(From left, Sam Shepard as Frank James and Garret Dillahunt as Ed Miller in the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford).

The notion of family grows through the telling of the movie The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Frank and Jesse James were legends in their own rights, which were parts of the credibility and backstory many viewers brought into this film. The brothers had mutual trust and respect, though the mechanics of that story weren’t the feature narrative of this film. The relationship of Jesse James with the band of outlaws, including Ed Miller as portrayed by Garret Dillahunt, proves to have significance.

(From left, Paul Schneider as Dick Liddil and Jeremy Renner as Robert Woodson ‘Wood’ Hite in the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford).

Jeremy Renner played Robert Woodson ‘Wood’ Hite, first cousin to the James brothers in film. Dick Liddil, as played by Paul Schneider, joins in the story in furtherance of the background story for Jesse James and Robert Ford. Comic relief as well as that backstory were the relevant takeaways I made for the presence of Liddil and Hite. Without giving things away, and generally thinking audience’s can infer as they please from the titles of movies, I perhaps have pointed you to an important dramatic thrust for the film.

(From left, film director and screenwriter Andrew Dominik with Brad Pitt on location for the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford).

I appreciate the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which works hard to establish mood through narrative and cinematic storytelling. Music, imagery, and camera angles all contributed to the move the notion of Western away from some of the conventional movie tropes that accompany the genre. Addressing whether the proposed assassination was in fact cowardly, and the perceptions of some key characters within the storyline helped. How the final threads came together were weaker for me than I would have preferred, though I do like the path Andrew Dominik took in getting us to what finished fully. I rate The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford at 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Saturday, October 10, 2020

Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston and the film ‘For Love of the Game’

First there was Bull Durham (1988). Second there was Field of Dreams (1989). Third there was For Love of the Game (1999). At the time of this review, Kevin Costner has since narrated a baseball piece and played a former baseball player in another film. The movies Bull Durham, Field of Dreams and For Love of the Game reflect the stellar stable of baseball movies starring Kevin Costner.

(John C. Reilly as Gus Sinski, left, and Kevin Costner as Billy Chapel in For Love of the Game).

Michael Shaara wrote the book For Love of the Game, which became the 1999 film of the same name. In the film, we are introduced to battery mates Gus Sinski and Billy Chapel of the Detroit Tigers heading to New York City to play the New York Yankees. John C. Reilly and Kevin Costner play Sinski and Chapel, respectively. The audience learns early that the Tigers have had a losing season, are getting sold, and Chapel as the star of the Tigers is likely to be traded following the season. Add to this that the Yankees need a win to make the playoffs.

 

(J.K. Simmons as Detroit Tigers manager Frank Perry in For Love of the Game).

Chapel is called onto pitch. Being loyal to his friend, Chapel makes the demand to Tigers manager Frank Perry that Gus Sinski, who hasn’t hit well all season, will continue to catch him that day if Perry wants Chapel to start. As an ending to the season and possibly a career, Perry was not going to deny the demand. J.K. Simmons portrayed manager Frank Perry.

(Kevin Costner as Billy Chapel, left, and Kelly Preston as Jane Aubrey in For Love of the Game).

It is among all this that Billy Chapel’s love interest, Jane Aubrey, has declared to the veteran pitcher that she, Jane, has accepted a job in London and would be leaving the same day Chapel is due to pitch. Being poised in the face of the adversity of losing a loyal owner, his team, his career, and his love interest, we see this story roll out into the telling of a pitcher putting everything on the line in pitching the game of a career as he, Billy Chapel, copes with his feelings of loss through the recollections of a relationship with Jane Aubrey, and as we learn her daughter Heather, between innings and batters. Kelly Preston plays Jane Aubrey as Jena Malone plays Heather Aubrey.

(Kevin Costner as Billy Chapel, left, and Jena Malone as Heather Aubrey in For Love of the Game).

In being a game about baseball and an ethos portrayed in a single game, the central question of the movie really centers on something different. The question becomes what love can Billy Chapel and Jane Aubrey believe in and make after Chapel’s career. The movie spent effort to show the romance and passion between the two as well as that between Chapel and the game of baseball. The mystery of this, combined with the hook of a baseball story, gives the viewer a sports romance film. The movie works at that level, and makes for decent date movie material. I grade the experience at 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Saturday, March 28, 2020