The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Andrew Dominick’s screen adaptation of Ron Hansen’s non-fiction novel of the same title, is wrought with lush imagery and strong performances. This slow, methodically paced journey through the lives of richly drawn characters will no doubt take home more than one award in the upcoming awards season.

The film deals with the last days of the famed outlaw Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and the admiration of his biggest fan, Robert Ford (Casey Affleck). Viewing the legendary James up close, Ford’s hero worship soon develops into lethal jealousy. As Ford’s bitterness increases, James’ soul becomes heavy from the weight of his own sin. As the story’s strands are woven together, the film becomes an elegant mosaic of times past that is as emotionally earnest as it is visually stunning.

Some may think that the title of the film is a plot spoiler. Yes, the film details the murder of Jesse James by Robert Ford, but director Andrew Dominick raises the focus of the story past mere events and into a realm of psychology and emotion unmatched by any American film released this year. Dominick’s direction is reminiscent of Terrence Malick, but feels a bit more focused and easy to interpret than Malick’s cinema of late. This film is created with lyric images (photographed by the brilliant Roger Deakins of The Shawshank Redemption and Fargo) that fill the screen with symbolism, as well as plot execution that feels like the unfolding of a fine piece of literature. Viewers looking for a wild western biopic filled with gunfights at high noon, barroom romance, and swashbuckling rides on horseback will surely be unsatisfied with this film.

In last year’s Babel, audiences saw a rare side of Brad Pitt, which belied his reputation as a Hollywood heartthrob. Pitt delivered an excellent performance in Babel, but his restrained portrayal of the legendary Jesse James, a performance that invokes both terror and pity, is one of his best roles. Casey Affleck’s role as Robert Ford is even more notable and will garner him a Best Actor nomination. In the first part of the film Ford acts like a kid in a candy store, delighted to shadow his childhood hero, but Affleck’s performance shines even brighter as the film goes on and Ford turns into the dauntingly jealous human being who will kill that hero. Excellent supporting performances abound, especially from Paul Schneider and Sam Shepard.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford treads solid moral ground as well. Jesse James has lived a life of dreadful iniquity, and the weight of his actions makes his soul heavier and heavier as the film progresses. Unfruitful deeds of darkness are exposed and his actual assassination happens under circumstances that no viewer would. It is one of the film’s most poetic and emotionally draining scenes.

Many think that the only kind of film that absolutely must be seen on the big screen is an action spectacle or fantastical special-effects fantasy. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is neither, but in order to fully appreciate the beauty of its imagery and embrace its meditative tone, viewers will cheat themselves by waiting for the DVD. It may be a whopping 160 minutes in length, but my only complaint lies in the fact that it is too short. In the brilliant last act, two important characters are introduced but not given nearly enough screen time. Rumor has it that Dominick wrote the screenplay hoping that the film would be closer to 4 hours long and had to do some major cutting in order to satisfy the producers. I hope to see this definitive cut someday, but until then I am satisfied to say that The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford is one of the best films of 2007.