The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

[MacGuffin]

Brad Pitt's 'Jesse James' comes under fire
Early cuts of Brad Pitt's 'Jesse James' have tested poorly, but Warner Bros. is sticking to its guns.
Source: Los Angeles Times

Every great western has a duel, and there's a showdown at the center of Brad Pitt's new movie about gunslinger Jesse James. The struggle hinged on the film's tone and length — at one point its running time was more than three hours — according to several people close to the production.

But running time wasn't the main issue. The thornier challenge was to come up with a cut of "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" that satisfied audiences and Warner Bros., the studio making and distributing the film. At one point there were competing versions — one from writer-director Andrew Dominik and another from producer and star Pitt, according to a person familiar with the making of the movie. It's unclear which version of the film will be released.

Warner Bros. only recently announced a Sept. 21 release date for "Jesse James," about two years after it was filmed. (In the time since, Pitt has had daughter Shiloh Nouvel and completed two other movies, "Ocean's 13" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." "Ocean's" will be in theaters more than three months before "Jesse James.")

Adapted from the novel by Ron Hansen, the film follows the last heist committed by James (Pitt), and Ford's (Casey Affleck) devoted and then vengeful relationship with the legendary outlaw.

Dominik, a New Zealand filmmaker who rose to prominence with the 2000 crime drama "Chopper" starring Eric Bana, wanted to deliver a dark, contemplative examination of fame and infamy, in the spirit of director Terrence Malick ("The New World"), according to several people familiar with the production. The studio, on the other hand, wanted less contemplation and more action, closer to Clint Eastwood's filmmaking style, sources said. (Dominik, Pitt and Affleck declined interview requests.)

Various versions of the film were assembled and tested, with Pitt, producer Ridley Scott ("Gladiator") and editor Michael Kahn ("Saving Private Ryan") either overseeing new cuts of the film or suggesting revisions, according to people familiar with the process.

Early test scores were poor, but some who have seen the film say the performances by Pitt and especially Affleck are among the best in their careers.

One otherwise favorable review of a research screening posted on the website http://www.aintitcoolnews.com said, "I see one serious problem with this film. A major studio made it. This film isn't for everyone. This isn't 'Tombstone,' it's not an action-packed Western."

In a statement last week, Warner Bros. said that the version being released this fall "is true to the source material and in keeping with the creative vision of its filmmakers. We do not comment on the internal creative process of bringing a picture to the screen, but the goal of both the studio and the filmmakers is to deliver the best film possible.... We are all very pleased with the picture we are bringing to theaters this fall."

Modestly budgeted at around $30 million, "Jesse James" is one of several Warner Bros. films facing problems in the editing room. Some half-dozen different cuts of the $50-million Bana-Drew Barrymore romantic comedy "Lucky You" have failed to wow preview audiences, and the studio is now cutting back on its marketing push for the film, which opens Friday opposite "Spider-Man 3," according to a person familiar with the production. The studio also has reshot approximately 50 pages for the Nicole Kidman movie "The Invasion," replacing original director Oliver Hirschbiegel with James McTeigue, with new screenplay pages written by Larry and Andy Wachowski ("The Matrix").

Yet as Warner Bros. knows, difficult productions do not always mean death at the box office. The studio (and some cast and crew) clashed with "Lake House" director Alejandro Agresti, but when it came out last summer, the $40-million film grossed more than $100 million worldwide.

[polkablues]

Fuck it.  I'll wait for the Director's Cut DVD in two years.

[MacGuffin]

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Source: Entertainment Weekly

When writer-director Andrew Dominik first told his agent he wanted to adapt Ron Hansen's novel The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford for the screen, the rep responded, ''Jesse James — I can sell that. He's like Batman.''

Flash forward three years, 34 different cuts, and five test screenings, and Jesse James feels as close to Batman as Brad Pitt feels to Jennifer Aniston. Starring Pitt as Jesse James, the result is a contemplative art film about a rival outlaw (Casey Affleck) and his deadly fixation on one of America's most notorious bad guys. Set in the 19th-century Old West, the reported $30 million film centers on James' loose brotherhood of thieves, and Ford's obsession with entering the legendary train robber's inner circle. Sam Rockwell portrays Ford's older brother, who introduces him to James — an act that will have historic consequences.

The cast and crew, including oft-Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins (Fargo), shot the film during the winter in Calgary and Winnipeg, where on some days the temperature plunged to -13. ''That's like throw-a-cup-of-hot-coffee-in-the-air-and-it-freezes-before-it-hits-the-ground cold,'' says Dominik, a New Zealand native who'd never before seen a frozen lake. But it was during the postproduction process that he really started to feel the chill. Warner Bros. was hoping for a good ol' gunslinger flick, and Dominik was pursuing an epic character study. Less than a month before Jesse James is set to debut at the Venice film festival (Aug. 29 to Sept. 8), the film is still not locked. ''The picture was supposed to be ready last fall and we weren't ready,'' says the director. ''So then basically you're waiting until the next fall. It's been arduous.''

But not without its good times. ''It was fun to be on a horse,'' says Affleck. ''It was great to learn how to ride better.'' Now they've just got to get this pony over the finish line.

[72teeth]

I can't believe September the 8) th is just around the corner.

[MacGuffin]

New Trailer

[samsong]

i'm down.

[MacGuffin]

[Ghostboy]

This looks amazing. I'm seeing it on Thursday. Don't let me down, awesome trailer!

[mogwai]

it looks like willy wonka walked into the wrong poster.

[hedwig]

it looks like willy wonka walked into the wrong poster.

and he's not happy about it.

[mogwai]

it looks like willy wonka walked into the wrong poster.

and he's not happy about it.

it's because he walked into a poster to a movie that didn't (hopefully) suck.

[picolas]

that's a really beautiful trailer. tailor-made for a spoilatar.

[Ghostboy]

This movie is really good. It's also very PTA-ish, right down to the narrator who sounds a lot like Ricky Jay and the editing (by Dylan Tichenor). Also, Paul Schneider (from David Gordon Green's movies) has a pretty big part -- it's great to finally see him utilized so well.

The structure is really loose and meandering, but pleasantly so. And then it finally starts twisting towards its climax. And then it keeps going. It's really long, and very quiet and uneventful, but it really sucks you in and the time flies by.

I have a feeling that There Will Be Blood will completely eclipse this. But for the time being, I really love it.

[MacGuffin]

New Trailer here.

[modage]

this will be an xixax favorite.  it's the kind of movie (as many have said of The Fountain) that actually seems better to think about afterwards then when you're watching it.  when i was watching it i was sometimes engrossed and sometimes thinking it was a little long.  the cinematography and music are absolutely gorgeous.  as ghostboy mentioned the narrator is definitely reminiscent of Ricky Jay (or Alec Baldwin in Tenenbaums), and the music actually reminded me a lot of Clint Mansell.  this is definitely a non-western western, i think it is The Illusionist to 3:10's Prestige but this is actually better than 3:10.  casey affleck so unbelievably disappears into this role, you believe it the moment he appears onscreen.  he makes you completely uncomfortable and you spend the bulk of the movie thinking what a creep he is.  15 minutes from the end of the film are when you think it could end and it would have been a good film, but the final 15 minutes are what makes it a great film.  SPOILERS i spent the whole movie basically hating Casey Affleck and in the last few minutes the film takes a turn where i feel so completely sorry for him and it got really really sad.  i loved that.  END SPOILERS so yeah, i'm netflixing Chopper soon and Dominik definitely steals the new-Malick crown from DGG who's moved onto other things.