**INCLUDES POSSIBLE SPOILERS** The film debut of writer/director Samuel Fuller, `I Shot Jesse James,' is a tightly wound character study of Robert Ford (played here by John Ireland), the man who shot and killed Jesse James. Ford, a member of the infamous James Gang, is Jesse's best friend; he's reached a time in his life when he just wants to settle down, get married and have a place of his own. But more than anything, he yearns for the one thing he'll never have as a wanted man: freedom. He wants to be able to walk down the street like anybody else and just live his life. He's in love with an actress, Cynthia Waters (Barbara Britton), who will marry him if he can square himself with the law. She goes to a prosecutor on his behalf, but the best deal they can offer if he turns himself in amounts to twenty years in prison. About this same time there is a public offer from the Governor of complete amnesty to anyone (including James Gang members) who will bring in Jesse, dead or alive. Moved to action by his love for Cynthia, and knowing that no man could take Jesse face to face, Ford shoots him in the back in Jesse's own home. Ford gets the freedom he so desperately covets, but the price he pays is far more than he ever bargained for. Filmed in stark black & white, and with Fuller's deft use of shadows and night shots, it combines with the content of the story to create a sense of atmosphere that gives it a `Western Noir' feeling, with a stoic inclination of predestination. By pulling the trigger, Ford condemns himself to the fate of Judas, and ironically finds more ostracism within the parameters of his newly won freedom than he did as an outlaw. Ireland does an outstanding job as Ford, maintaining a subtle restraint throughout, while going deep to get to the core of this man who is buoyed only by the love he bares for Cynthia, through which he manages to keep the remorse of killing his best friend at arm's length. He also brings a certain cocky menace to the character, which gradually becomes more unassuming, yet somehow more threatening, as the story progresses and he reacts to the backlash he encounters in the wake of Jesse's murder, an act viewed as deplorable by the many who considered James a hero. One of the most memorable scenes in the movie takes place sometime after Jesse's death; Ford is in a saloon when a wandering troubadour (Robin Short) comes in and offers a song for the price of a drink. Ford buys, and the man (who doesn't know Ford) begins a ballad that `A lot of people seem to like.' It's about Jesse James, and `Robert Ford, that dirty little coward' who shot him in the back. Watching Ford's reaction, and in turn the reaction of the troubadour, creates a tension that is palpable. Another outstanding, and telling scene, is the one in which Ford attempts to recreate the killing on stage, and realizes too late that it forces him to face up to what he's done for the first time; it's the moment of truth, wherein the burden of guilt is made manifest at last.
The supporting cast includes Preston Foster (John Kelley), Reed Hadley (Jesse James), Tom Tyler (Frank James), Barbara Woodell (Zee James) and Tommy Noonan (Charles Ford). An auspicious beginning for Fuller, `I Shot Jesse James' is a minor classic that heralds the more reality-based Westerns (like `The Wild Bunch') that would come some twenty years or so later on. Fuller delivers it in a manner that is thought provoking and has style; definitely not your run-of-the-mill Western, it is deserving of acclaim that has thus far been elusive. Hopefully, one day the merits of this film will be recognized. I rate this one 7/10.
The supporting cast includes Preston Foster (John Kelley), Reed Hadley (Jesse James), Tom Tyler (Frank James), Barbara Woodell (Zee James) and Tommy Noonan (Charles Ford). An auspicious beginning for Fuller, `I Shot Jesse James' is a minor classic that heralds the more reality-based Westerns (like `The Wild Bunch') that would come some twenty years or so later on. Fuller delivers it in a manner that is thought provoking and has style; definitely not your run-of-the-mill Western, it is deserving of acclaim that has thus far been elusive. Hopefully, one day the merits of this film will be recognized. I rate this one 7/10.