By 1881, the legend of Jesse James (Brad Pitt) had already been written... all but the last chapter. For nearly 15 years, the Missouri outlaw had robbed banks, stagecoaches and trains. He was living under a different name in a house in Kansas City, occasionally venturing on small raids, when Bob Ford (Casey Affleck) joined his gang. Ford wasn't a gangster; all he knew were the ten-gallon myths of dime novels, but he was keen. So the gunslinger welcomed the man who was to kill him with a gun Jesse gave him.
Pitt is excellent as the ageing outlaw, but it's the Oscar-nominated Affleck who surprises as the creepy, determined wannabe who already knows everything about his idol. "Can't figure it out," says Jesse. "Do you want to be like me, or do you want to be me?"
This isn't a Winchester-toting, wham-bam western, but a psychological crime drama, weaving together dark strands of both hero-worship and betrayal. Highly recommended.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a Film programme that first aired in 2007 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
