If Brad Pitt had to choose a favorite movie out of all his films, you’d think he’d have a hard time. From “Seven” by David Fincher to “The Tree of Life” by Terrence Malick, The best Brad Pitt films are among the best of recent decades. As such, you might be somewhat surprised to learn that the star clearly has a favorite: Andrew Dominik’s 2007 western “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.”
This haunting exploration of the titular outlaw is about as revisionist as Westerns get, depicting James (Pitt) not as a hero but as a deeply flawed and violent character. In doing so, Dominik examines our collective penchant for celebrity worship, primarily through Ford himself, played by Casey Affleck. The young outlaw idolizes James but soon discovers that his perception of this mythological figure is skewed and, as the title suggests, eventually disposes of Pitt’s ruthless criminal.
Unfortunately, Warner Bros. thought “The Assassination of Jesse James” was going to be a shoot’em upso when studio executives saw Dominik’s brooding, revisionist take on the James legend, they weren’t exactly thrilled. The film barely had a theatrical opening and was essentially abandoned by Warners, only for it to fade into obscurity although it is remembered fondly by those who saw it. This was all a real shame, not only because the film is one of the best films of the 2000s, even if it is a failurebut because it’s Pitt’s favorite film.
Brad Pitt considers The Assassination of Jesse James his best work
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” is easily one of the best westerns of the post-“ruthless” modern era. Although this Clint Eastwood-directed 1992 effort is widely considered the quintessential revisionist western, those who have seen “The Assassination of Jesse James” know that it represents something that is perhaps even more powerfully subversive to the legends of the Wild West. It helps, of course, that the whole thing was exquisitely filmed by the great Roger Deakins, but there’s also Brad Pitt, who gives one of the best performances of his career.
It helped that the actor seemed to really love the film, even when it debuted and was overlooked by almost everyone. In a contemporary era interviewthe actor praised his collaborators for producing what he considered a beautiful product. “There is a real beauty in this film that Andrew Dominik and Roger Deakins were able to capture,” he said. “There’s a real lyrical slowness and it’s really my kind of storytelling, the storytelling that I love the most, so I’m thrilled.”
So it’s not so surprising to learn that years later, Pitt considered “Jesse James” his best film. In a GQ interview, the actor said: “I can spin the hits over and over again and I…my favorite movie is the worst-performing movie of anything I’ve done, ‘The Assassination of Jesse James’.” Indeed, after the film only released in five theaters on its opening weekend, it ended up making $15.3 million with a budget of $30 million during its entire box office run. Yet, as Pitt said, “If I believe something is worth doing, then I know it will be worth doing in time to come.”
The Assassination of Jesse James Isn’t Actually Brad Pitt’s Worst Film
Brad Pitt is spoiled for choice when it comes to his best films, but it’s hard to argue with his choice. “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” is not only a great revisionist western, it’s a western with something relevant to say about our persistent propensity for hero worship, even when those “heroes” are anything but.
Additionally, although Pitt might consider it his “worst performing film,” “Jesse James” was arguably more successful financially than ‘Kalifornia,’ Pitt’s 1993 crime thriller that Roger Ebert loved but which only grossed $2.4 million on a budget of $8.5 million. Then there’s 1994’s “The Favor,” which was a sensation. $3.1 million with a budget of 12 million dollars. Perhaps due to Pitt’s personal investment in “Jesse James”, however, it seemed to be the “worst performing” of all his films.
Since working together in 2007, Pitt and Andrew Dominik have collaborated on two other films with 2012’s “Killing Them Softly,” in which Pitt starred, and 2022’s “Killing Them Softly.” ambitious mess “Blonde”, that the actor produced. But neither were as unforgettable as “Jesse James,” which is why it’s a shame more people didn’t see the film when it debuted.
