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If Brad Pitt were to choose a favorite among all his movies, one might assume it would be challenging. From David Fincher’s “Seven” to Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life,”Brad Pitt’s best moviesare among the finest from recent decades. As a result, you may be somewhat taken aback to discover that the actor has a distinct favorite: Andrew Dominik’s 2007 Western “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.”
This evocative look at the famous outlaw is one of the most unconventional Westerns, portraying James (Pitt) not as a hero but as a deeply flawed and aggressive individual. By doing so, Dominik explores our shared fascination with fame, primarily through Ford, played by Casey Affleck. The aspiring outlaw admires James but soon realizes his view of this legendary figure is incorrect, and as the title implies, ultimately eliminates Pitt’s brutal criminal.
Unfortunately, Warner Bros. believed “The Assassination of Jesse James” would be a typical action film, so when studio executives saw Dominik’s brooding, reimagined version of James’ legend, they weren’t exactly pleased. The movie had a minimal theatrical release and was essentially left behind by Warner Bros., eventually fading into obscurity despite being cherished by those who managed to watch it. All of that was a real pity, not only because the film isone of the top films from the 2000s, even though it failed commerciallybut because it happens to be Pitt’s favorite among all his films.
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Brad Pitt believes that “The Assassination of Jesse James” is his finest performance.
“The Murder of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” is easily one ofthe best Westernsin the modern, post-“Unforgiven” era. Although that 1992 film directed by Clint Eastwood is often regarded as the definitive revisionist Western, those who have watched “The Assassination of Jesse James” recognize it as something that might be even more effectively subversive of the legends surrounding the Old West. Naturally, the entire production was captured beautifully by the legendary Roger Deakins, but there’s also Brad Pitt, who gives one of the finest performances of his career.
It was helpful that the actor truly seemed to cherish the movie, even when it first came out and was being ignored by nearly everyone. In a similar contextinterview, the actor commended his team for creating what he considered a stunning result. “There’s an authentic beauty in this film that Andrew Dominik and Roger Deakins managed to convey,” he mentioned. “There’s a genuine poetic gradual build-up, and it’s exactly the kind of narrative I appreciate the most, so I’m delighted.”
It’s not too surprising, then, that years later Pitt regarded “Jesse James” as his finest film. In aGQinterview, the actor stated, “I can consistently produce hits, and I just—my favorite movie is the one that performed the worst of all my work, ‘The Assassination of Jesse James.'” Indeed, after the film was shown in only five theaters during its opening weekend, it ultimately ended up making$15.3 millionWith a $30 million budget throughout its entire theatrical release. Still, as Pitt stated, “If I believe something is valuable, then I know it will remain valuable in the future.”
The killing of Jesse James is not truly Brad Pitt’s least successful movie.
Brad Pitt has a wealth of outstanding films to choose from, yet his selection is hard to dispute. “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” stands as an exceptional reimagined Western, offering meaningful commentary on our persistent tendency to idolize figures who are far from heroic.
Furthermore, although Pitt may view it as his “least successful film,””Jesse James” likely performed better at the box office thanPitt’s severely overlooked 1993 thriller “Kalifornia,” which Roger Ebert praisedbut which only generated $2.4 million with an $8.5 million budget. Then, there’s 1994’s “The Favor,” which earned just$3.1 millionWith a budget of $12 million. However, perhaps because of Pitt’s personal involvement in “Jesse James,” it seemed to be the least successful of all his movies.
Since their work together in 2007, Pitt and Andrew Dominik have worked on two additional films, including “Killing Them Softly” in 2012, where Pitt was featured, and 2022’sambitious mess “Blonde,”which the actor directed. However, none came close to being as memorable as “Jesse James,” which is unfortunate because more people didn’t watch the film when it was first released.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.