The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) on Netflix
R20072h 40mBiographyCrimeDrama
In 1881 Robert Ford seeks out Jesse James, whose gang plans a train robbery at Blue Cut, Missouri. Ford wants in, and his brother Charley, already a gang member, tries to help.
- Netflix3.2/5
- IMDb7.5/10206,374 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes76%
Trailer
Plot summary
Bob Ford has idolized Jesse James since childhood. In 1881, when the James Gang is preparing a train robbery at Blue Cut, Missouri, Bob seeks the outlaw out and tries to win a place among his men. His older brother Charley is already a member of the gang and speaks for him. Jesse comes back to Kansas City with the Ford brothers, Dick Liddil and Wood Hite, his cousin. He sends Charley, Wood and Dick away but keeps Bob behind to help move furniture into a new house in St. Joseph, Missouri. Bob grows more admiring of Jesse there, and once he is sent on he stays with his widowed sister Martha Bolton, where Charley, Hite and Liddil gather.
Cast
Show all 20 cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Nick Cave has a minor part in the latter part of the film, playing a strolling balladeer in a crowded bar performing "The Ballad of Jesse James", a folk song which describes Robert Ford as a coward, unaware that Ford himself is present.
- The studio reportedly hated the lenses and pressured Dominik to eliminate their use; both Deakins and Dominik eventually regretted their limited deployment and wished they had used them to shoot more of the film.
- At a Q&A during the movie's "revival" in 2013, Dominik reported that when he showed Terrence Malick a cut of Jesse James, Malick's reaction was "it's too slow", which drew a laugh from the audience.
- Brad Pitt had a clause written into his contract stating that the studio could not change the name of the film.
- The test versions did not receive strong scores from test audiences, but despite that negative response the same audiences considered the performances by Pitt and Affleck to be some of their careers' best.
- The role of Ford eventually came down to Affleck and Shia LaBeouf, and Affleck was cast because it was felt that LaBeouf was too young for the part.
