"I've been a nobody all my life. I was the baby; I was the one they made promises to that they never kept. And ever since I can recall it, Jesse James has been as big as a tree. I'm prepared for this, Jim. And I'm going to accomplish it. I know I won't get but this one opportunity and you can bet your life I'm not going to spoil it."
*First of all that name is super long, so I'm going to abbreviate it as such: AJJ
I was back and forth between reviewing AJJ and "Exit Through The Gift Shop", the documentary about graf artist Banksy. At first glance, they seem to have very little in common,and very big contrasts: Grimey urban cities decked out with grafitti vs.barren Western landscapes where a rolling tumbleweed wouldn't feel out of place. What the films do have in common, however, is an obsession with celebrity(all the more interesting considering AJJ is dealing with a supposedly antiquated genre). In "Exit Through The Gift Shop", a filmmaker basically riffs off Banskys style,and becomes a millionaire. The hack artist, known as "Mr. Brainwash", thrives on illustrating a style you've seen before, but can't quite place. In essence, his fame depends entirely on you forgetting its source. "AJJ" however, is a different treatise on celebrity. Through the eyes of Robert Ford, it is study on the pursuit of fame through visceral means, building ones livelihood on the destruction of anothers. Is it strange that I found "AJJ" more relevant?
"AJJ" doesn't glorify Jesse James, but it does not vilify him either. Played by Brad Pitt(is there a better person to play a subject of unrivaled fame?), James is charismatic and brash. He is undoubtedly the most dynamic character in the film, and I believe this to be Pitt's best performance. He is at times more manic than Tyler Durden,and at other moments more stoic than Benjamin Button. James' magnificent presence draws people to him like moth to a flame,and their is no one who is more allured by him than Robert Ford(Casey Affleck,in a wonderfully awkward performance).
Affleck soon joins forces with James' gang, and beautifully photographed robberies ensue(there is a 5 minute train sequence that is almost untouchable for sheer eye candy). It is a pleasure to watch the tensions between Ford and James rise to a fever pitch, and eventually reach their inevitable conclusion. The score(done by Nick Cave & Warren Eliis) is extremely evocative, and you largely have to count on it to gauge the level of tensions, as the acting becomes almost increasingly minimal, with the ultimate assassination being incredibly tame.
Truthfully, no amount of violence could have surpassed the horror of Fords ambitions, as depicted in the film. After the assassination, there is a 15 minute epilogue following Ford, now a stage actor capitalizing on his newfound fame(acting in a play in which he assassinates James). For all his fame, Ford is shunned by society, reading death threats with only a morbid interest. James may have been a infamous criminal, but at least he was his own man. Ford assumed that by wiping him out, effacing the man of his omnipresence, he could assume the same stature(with none of the personality or talent). The film ends in a ironic twist, as Ford is ultimately killed by a man seeking to become famous himself. "AJJ" shows us that Ford and that man ultimately missed a crucial lesson:Their greatest crime was not not being Jesse James, but not being themselves. Not all of us can be heroes or celebrities. Some of us have to wave to them as they pass by.
No comments:
Post a Comment