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In the cold light of day, legendary outlaw Jesse James is exposed as a low-down killer who had it coming. But as much as writer/director Andrew Dominik seeks to reveal the pettiness of men, The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford is also a misty-eyed, sepia-toned love letter to the art of mythmaking. Apparently, all the world needs a hero and there is nobody better than Brad Pitt, with all his untouchable starriness, to fill those boots.

Of course where there's a hero, there must also be a villain, and it was destined to be an upstart called Robert Ford. In that role, Casey Affleck exudes all the sweaty desperation of a wannabe pop idol, telling anyone who'll listen that he's destined for 'something big'. James's much-publicised exploits fuel his fantasies and the man himself gives Ford a shot at glory when he initiates him into his gang. But after a violent train robbery, when the price on James's head increases, so do his suspicions that he'll be the one caught in the firing line.

"BEAUTIFUL AND BROODING"

History pegged Ford as a coward, but in adapting the book by Ron Hansen, Dominik probes much deeper and reveals a common syndrome. It's a tragic imbalance of testosterone and childish naivete which Affleck conveys with total assuredness. And as the media's reputed Robin Hood of the Old West - haunted by his own celebrity - Pitt is always at one remove; enigmatic, unpredictable, and thoroughly engaging. At times he looks like a ghost amongst the living, drifting across majestic landscapes and lurking in the shadows for those who might betray him. That feeling resonates with Dominik's approach, beautiful yet brooding, where every vista and every line of dialogue is loaded with portent and romantic melancholy. This is by no means a traditional western; instead startling, soulful, and brimming with pioneer spirit.

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford is out in the UK on 30th November 2007.