Curl up in your bed on a cosy afternoon, switch off the lights in the room and prepare yourself to be taken into the lives of the old American West outlaws. Based on Ron Hansen’s 1983 novel of the same name, this story revolves around a outlaw named Jesse James, who was feared and revered at the same time to be the most intelligent and ruthless thief of his time.
This movie starts with a brilliant narrative that takes you through the life of Jesse James, the gang he formed with his brother, and the events that ultimately led to the end of his gang, and later his life.
To be honest, I had watched our desi- adapted version, Johhny Gaddar, prior to watching this original version. Ironically, Johhny Gaddar came to India before Jesse James, maybe because the latter had a delayed release. But nothing of what I watched in our Hindi remake prepared me to be amazed by a story so powerfully brought to life. You will certainly feel that these two movies are actually like two DIFFERENT movies.
The casting for this film is so perfect, that for days after watching this movie, I could not shake away the image of Brad Pitt as Jesse James and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford. I had always loved Brad Pitt, no doubts on that one; but to love Casey Affleck after watching him kill Brad Pitt, was something I can owe only to the extraordinary cadre of this movie.
I watched this film twice, something I don’t do even for movies I like a lot, and it thrilled me so much to see the screenplay enfold the way I anticipated. I loved every dialogue, every expression, and every event unfolded. It didn’t feel like a movie but rather like a play, and the characters seemed like they had been pulled out from real life.
I can’t understand how a movie so exceptional, got hidden in the maze of commercial films spewing out of our theatres now and then. If you are a fan of Brad Pitt, you just cannot afford to miss this film. I can parallel this performance of his to the one in Seven.
Long after you have watched this film, I assure you, you will find yourself ruminating and wondering how it felt to be living in the time of Jesse James.