{mosimage}Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck deliver one of the best interpretative duels of the last year in this epic unconventional western.
Directed by the relatively unknown Andrew Dominik and produced by the very well known Ridley Scott, the movie is a little masterpiece not easy to digest from the first moment. Actually, I must recognize that I did not enjoy it much the first time I saw it, but I got totally trapped when I gave it a second chance.
Far from the conventional westerns full of action, bullets and thirst to kill or to get killed, the present movie turns into the epic interpretations of Pitt as outlaw Jesse James and his young follower and final assassin, Robert Ford. Both give a supreme lesson during the 2 hours and 40 minutes of the film; Pitt, a silence, maniac, depressed and slippery bandit while Affleck performs so sharply his role as the shy James fan turned into traitor and coward assassin that makes you even feel uneasy and uncomfortable while sitting contemplating his appearances.
Do not get mistaken, the 2 hours and 40 minutes do not pass by fast, on the other hand the dialogues and action go slowly but smoothly, and every sequence has its meaning. Added to all this, the superb and melancholic soundtrack by Nick Cave (who makes also a cameo) that clearly explains with no need of words that this is not about a happy story with a happy ending. Excellent psychological portrait of men advocated to being what they did not want to be.
Rating 5/5.