Look at my red hands and my mean face... and I wonder 'bout that man that's gone so wrong.
Tonight I watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. It was a slow, brooding type of film, constantly alluding to action but never entirely reaching the hollywood climax. Instead the film moves away from the action-image and on to an engaging and intellectual level- something you don't see so much in outlaw movies. Directed by Andrew Dominik (who also did Chopper), the film puts its cards on the table in its title allowing the action to sit second saddle to the relationships between the characters. The tension is built around the moments of action through a very beautiful cinematographic aesthetic, impeccable pacing and perfectly played performances (Pitt won Best Actor at the Venice film festival). I wasn't surprised to find the DP, Roger Deakins, was also responsible for a string of fantastic films including a number of Coen Brothers works. Nick Cave's soundtrack is also a major highlight, I have it on a compilation of his work with Warren Ellis called White Lunar. Although this probably isn't a film for when you are struggling with your attention span, it is definitely worth putting the effort in to follow. Every scene has a palpable sense of conflict felt through dramatic and framed compositions (without ever the feeling of it being over-thought). It was called majestic by critics, and I have to agree.
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