“This movie was doomed, from a financial point of view. I get it. I really do. When you look at the movies people like and go and see, I think it’s pretty far from those kinds of films,” Andrew Dominik told us a few years ago. Indeed, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford racked up only half its budget globally, but our love for Dominik’s revisionist western masterpiece is apparent around here, and today we have another avenue to appreciate it thanks to a great video essay from our friend Scout Tafoya.
Created for RogerEbert.com, the 10-minute video shows the influence of the film in recent years (notably The Age of Adaline) before diving deeper into its beauty in both cinematography — Tafoya claims Roger Deakins‘ work leads to “most visually beautiful film of the last 30 years,” a statement hard to argue with after seeing it on the big screen thanks to the Jesse James Revival — and its beguiling performances. As we wait to determine if Dominik’s director’s cut ever sees the light of day, check out the full video essay below.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is currently available on Blu-ray.