The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

This is a film that will be watched for ages. Casey Affleck gives a memorable performance as Robert Ford, who obsessively studied the James gang since childhood and upon joining them hoped he'd get his come-uppance. Robert grows resentful of Jesse James (after his man-crush is destroyed) and eventually turns against him.

Wikipedia: "Brian Tallerico of UGO gave the film an "A" and said it is "the best western since Unforgiven." Tallerico also said "Stunning visuals, award-worthy performances, and a script that takes incredibly rewarding risks, Jesse James is a masterpiece and one of the best films of the year."[17] Kurt Loder of MTV said "If I were inclined to wheel out clichés like 'Oscar-worthy', I'd certainly wheel them out in support of this movie, on several counts."[18] Richard Roeper on the television show Ebert & Roeper said "If you love classic and stylish mood Westerns such as McCabe and Mrs. Miller and The Long Riders, this is your film."[19] The Star-Ledger film critic Stephen Whitty gave the film 4 stars and called it an "epic film that's part literary treatise, part mournful ballad, and completely a portrait of our world, as seen in a distant mirror." Whitty also said that the film is "far superior" and "truer to its own world" than 3:10 to Yuma.[20] Josh Rosenblatt of The Austin Chronicle gave the film 31⁄2 stars and said the film "grabs on to many of the classic tropes of the Western—the meandering passage of time, the imposing landscapes, the abiding loneliness, the casual violence—and sets about mapping their furthest edges."[21]

Film critic Emanuel Levy gave the film an "A" and wrote "Alongside with Joel and Ethan Coen's No Country for Old Men, which is a Western in disguise, or rather a modern Western, Assassination of Jesse James is the second masterpiece of the season." Levy also wrote, "Like Bonnie & Clyde, Dominik's seminal Western is a brilliant, poetic saga of America's legendary criminal as well as meditative deconstruction of our culture's most persistent issues: link of crime and fame, myths of heroism and obsession with celebrity."

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was identified by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures as one of the top ten films of 2007. The board also awarded actor Casey Affleck as Best Supporting actor in the film.[30] The San Francisco Film Critics Circle named The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford as the Best Picture of 2007. The circle also awarded actor Casey Affleck as best supporting actor for the film. Casey Affleck was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for the 65th Golden Globe Awards.[31]

The film received two Academy Award nominations for the 80th Academy Awards. Casey Affleck was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Roger Deakins was nominated for Best Cinematography"