The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Brad Pitt won the Best Actor award at Venice for his loose performance as Jesse James in this long, somber Western, a kind of visual folk song echoing with melancholy remembrance. But it's Casey Affleck, honored with an Oscar nomination for his performance as Robert Ford, who is the revelation in the film. Where Jesse is jaunty and seemingly easygoing (at least until paranoia kicks in and his grin becomes a threat that he flashes like a dare), Robert is wary, skittish, desperate for Jesse's attention and maybe some of his reputation, which he's learned from dime novels. Director Andrew Dominik, an Australian whose only previous feature is the offbeat Aussie crime drama "Chopper," is mesmerized by their mundane lives between jobs, and at times gets carried away from the story of Jesse and Robert, but the imagery is long and slow, rich and deep, like it's been idealized by memory. Sam Rockwell, Paul Schneider, Jeremy Renner and Garret Dillahunt cut memorable figures as Jesse's rough-hewn and undisciplined recruits, who drift into thievery for lack of better prospects, and Sam Shepard is the older James brother Frank, who pegs Robert as bad news from his first meeting. Mary-Louise Parker and Zooey Deschanel play the women in their lives, but their presence barely makes a ripple in the male-centric stories. Roger Deakins' gorgeous cinematography, with colors slightly faded with a nostalgic tinge of sepia, earned the film its other Oscar nomination.

Curiously, there are no supplements in this release -- no deleted scenes, no commentary, not even a cheesy promotional featurette -- which makes me wonder if a special edition is in the offing. Not that we need an extended version; it already runs a lazy 160 minutes. Also available in Blu-ray and HD DVD formats.