Now here's an interesting take on the Jesse James mythos: a group of dishonest bankers impersonate James and his gang during a train robbery. As the law goes after the falsely accused James gang, peace officer Roy Rogers (played by...Roy Rogers) begins to believe that the whole situation might be a frame-up. So he goes on a personal crusade to clear the name of the notorious outlaw. First off, I had no idea that you could play yourself in a Western. I don't think John Wayne ever appeared in a movie as John Wayne. Second, the whole idea of Jesse James being framed seems like a desperate attempt on the part of the filmmakers to have their cake and eat it, too. At this point in American history, Jesse James was already a mythologized figure in American history. But he was still a criminal. So how could he star in a film with the clean-cut Roy Rogers? Simple: have him be framed. It's such a mind-boggling concept. My favorite scene was when Roy Rogers says something along the lines of, "I knew that Jesse James was too noble to do that." Don't get me wrong, Days of Jesse James isn't very good (although I did legitimately enjoy a running gag where a newspaper salesman on a train lies about Jesse James being in the headlines to sell papers). But as an anthropological specimen of the evolution of Western archetypes, it is strangely compelling.
5/10
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