...like the title, the film is a little too long.
Video:
Grading the video presentation of "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is a tricky proposition. The 2.4:1 film is mastered with a VC-1 codec and there are a number of scenes where the 1080p resolution is quite apparent. On the average, "The Assassination of Jesse James" is an above average looking Blu-ray title, but the cinematography presents an unusual lens technique that is intended to bring about a historical feel for the production, but only serves to make the film look either terribly out of focus or as if somebody went a little crazy with a jar of Vaseline. Director of Photography Roger Deakins does deliver some incredible visuals, but the "Jesse James Vision" is almost as annoying as the "Walleye Vision" from the first "Hot Shots!" film. When you have a picture that is typically as beautiful as "The Assassination of Jesse James," you really don´t want to see the stylistic visual distortions presented by this picture.
The more typical elements of this film are amazingly detailed and very nicely colored. The age around Brad Pitt´s eyes is quite visible in high definition and you can see the crow´s feet and wrinkles around his eyes that go beyond the thirty four year age of Jesse James. Detail on the snow and foliage shown during the film is also solid. Coloring is strong and although there is a slight desaturation to the coloring to give the film a ´historic´ look, "The Assassination of Jesse James" features strong coloring that brings about realistic fleshtones and nicely captures the dull coloring of the period. There are a few scenes that take place in low lighting and they too look great, with strong black levels and shadow detail. Source materials are also clean and no visible flaws present themselves throughout the screening.
Audio:
The near three hour length of "The Assassination of Jesse James" is a possible prohibiting factor in the soundtrack selections of this film. Three sound options are provided and English, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes are included, as well as corresponding subtitles for each language. The film possesses a tame soundtrack that does mix a few very nice ambient sounds in the rear channels, but suffers from the timid tone of the film. Long rides through quiet planes or reflective moments in a run-down house are commonplace in the picture and there isn´t a lot of sound information to be provided when the only object on screen that can present sound is a rocking chair. Perhaps that example is exaggeration, but there are long bouts of quiet in the film.
The technical breakdown of the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is not bad, but the low-key nature of the mix does not give the supporting channels much to do. The front channels truly have the majority of work to do and they deliver clean and clear sound. The music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is warm and nicely augment the story and is perhaps the best part of the audio mix. The supporting channels find the subwoofer channel rumbling a few slight times in the film and the rear surrounds are given a little number of environmental effects to convey. One or two gunshots make their way to the rear surrounds, and they do provide some additional depth to the musical score, but almost all of the limited action in this film takes place in the front three speakers. Dialogue is clear, but the pronunciation of the actors results in a few lost lines. Given the limited nature of the source materials, I felt the soundtrack did fine with the mix, but it is hardly impressive.
Extras:
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is a long title and the film it names is quite long at 160 minutes. This long length results in a limited amount of space for bonus materials for this BD50 release and only the making-of documentary The Assassination of Jesse James: Death of an Outlaw (31:48) is included. Featuring the cast and crew, this documentary spends more time focusing on the actual life of the legendary American outlaw than it does looking at what went on in bringing the film to the screen. It is entertaining and I enjoyed hearing everybody´s thoughts on their characters and the true-life stories surrounding Dominik´s adaptation, but after watching the film, the information of "Death of an Outlaw" felt rehashed. There was a little more insight into the actual men portrayed in the film and that was the most valuable part of this supplement. "Death of an Outlaw" is neither purely historical nor purely promotional. It is a decent watch and I was happy to see at least something additional on this Blu-ray release.
Closing Comments:
Hopefully, this is about the last time I will have to type the film title "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." Brad Pitt loved the title and had it in his contract to not allow the film´s title to be changed. However, like the title, the film is a little too long. "The Assassination of Jesse James" feels like a history lesson with gorgeous paintings telling the tale. Jesse James was a unique personality and one of the legends of American history. This movie paints a realistic story of his undoing and final days and provides the reasoning why he was killed by somebody he considered a friend. Both Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck put forth great performances that mark the high water mark of this film. I liked the movie, but felt it was too much exposition and silent moments of contemplation by the characters. With a little trimming and one or two more bank heists, this could have been a far more entertaining film. The Blu-ray release features sight and sound that is technically proficient, but the limited source material doesn´t allow the film to excel in any area. The film is a hard sell, but if you love history, then the movie with a long title should be worth your time.
Grading the video presentation of "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is a tricky proposition. The 2.4:1 film is mastered with a VC-1 codec and there are a number of scenes where the 1080p resolution is quite apparent. On the average, "The Assassination of Jesse James" is an above average looking Blu-ray title, but the cinematography presents an unusual lens technique that is intended to bring about a historical feel for the production, but only serves to make the film look either terribly out of focus or as if somebody went a little crazy with a jar of Vaseline. Director of Photography Roger Deakins does deliver some incredible visuals, but the "Jesse James Vision" is almost as annoying as the "Walleye Vision" from the first "Hot Shots!" film. When you have a picture that is typically as beautiful as "The Assassination of Jesse James," you really don´t want to see the stylistic visual distortions presented by this picture.
The more typical elements of this film are amazingly detailed and very nicely colored. The age around Brad Pitt´s eyes is quite visible in high definition and you can see the crow´s feet and wrinkles around his eyes that go beyond the thirty four year age of Jesse James. Detail on the snow and foliage shown during the film is also solid. Coloring is strong and although there is a slight desaturation to the coloring to give the film a ´historic´ look, "The Assassination of Jesse James" features strong coloring that brings about realistic fleshtones and nicely captures the dull coloring of the period. There are a few scenes that take place in low lighting and they too look great, with strong black levels and shadow detail. Source materials are also clean and no visible flaws present themselves throughout the screening.
Audio:
The near three hour length of "The Assassination of Jesse James" is a possible prohibiting factor in the soundtrack selections of this film. Three sound options are provided and English, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes are included, as well as corresponding subtitles for each language. The film possesses a tame soundtrack that does mix a few very nice ambient sounds in the rear channels, but suffers from the timid tone of the film. Long rides through quiet planes or reflective moments in a run-down house are commonplace in the picture and there isn´t a lot of sound information to be provided when the only object on screen that can present sound is a rocking chair. Perhaps that example is exaggeration, but there are long bouts of quiet in the film.
The technical breakdown of the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is not bad, but the low-key nature of the mix does not give the supporting channels much to do. The front channels truly have the majority of work to do and they deliver clean and clear sound. The music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is warm and nicely augment the story and is perhaps the best part of the audio mix. The supporting channels find the subwoofer channel rumbling a few slight times in the film and the rear surrounds are given a little number of environmental effects to convey. One or two gunshots make their way to the rear surrounds, and they do provide some additional depth to the musical score, but almost all of the limited action in this film takes place in the front three speakers. Dialogue is clear, but the pronunciation of the actors results in a few lost lines. Given the limited nature of the source materials, I felt the soundtrack did fine with the mix, but it is hardly impressive.
Extras:
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is a long title and the film it names is quite long at 160 minutes. This long length results in a limited amount of space for bonus materials for this BD50 release and only the making-of documentary The Assassination of Jesse James: Death of an Outlaw (31:48) is included. Featuring the cast and crew, this documentary spends more time focusing on the actual life of the legendary American outlaw than it does looking at what went on in bringing the film to the screen. It is entertaining and I enjoyed hearing everybody´s thoughts on their characters and the true-life stories surrounding Dominik´s adaptation, but after watching the film, the information of "Death of an Outlaw" felt rehashed. There was a little more insight into the actual men portrayed in the film and that was the most valuable part of this supplement. "Death of an Outlaw" is neither purely historical nor purely promotional. It is a decent watch and I was happy to see at least something additional on this Blu-ray release.
Closing Comments:
Hopefully, this is about the last time I will have to type the film title "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." Brad Pitt loved the title and had it in his contract to not allow the film´s title to be changed. However, like the title, the film is a little too long. "The Assassination of Jesse James" feels like a history lesson with gorgeous paintings telling the tale. Jesse James was a unique personality and one of the legends of American history. This movie paints a realistic story of his undoing and final days and provides the reasoning why he was killed by somebody he considered a friend. Both Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck put forth great performances that mark the high water mark of this film. I liked the movie, but felt it was too much exposition and silent moments of contemplation by the characters. With a little trimming and one or two more bank heists, this could have been a far more entertaining film. The Blu-ray release features sight and sound that is technically proficient, but the limited source material doesn´t allow the film to excel in any area. The film is a hard sell, but if you love history, then the movie with a long title should be worth your time.
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[release]22868[/release]