Mr. Robert Ford was one of the most fascinating and hated men of the American Old West for his vicious murder of his friend Jesse James when his back was turned. Historians and writers have tried for decades to decode Ford's true motivation for his infamous act of betrayal. In Samuel Fuller's first directorial effort, I Shot Jesse James, he realizes that it is impossible for us to know what actually went through Ford's mind on that fateful day. Instead, Fuller is interested in how Ford rationalized his treachery to himself after the fact. Ford seems to convince himself that with the reward for killing James he can finally start a new life with his childhood sweetheart, Cynthy Waters. But there is obviously more going on in Ford's head than he lets on. I Shot Jesse James demonstrates Fuller's knack for the psychological pathos that would come to dominate his characters in the rest of his career. Perhaps my favorite scene in the film is when Ford is drinking at a bar and a wandering musicians walks in and begins to sing the legendary Ballad of Jesse James. Ford stands up, introduces himself, and forces the horrified musician to finish the song. It is a scene of such perfectly balanced emotional intensity that it is nearly inconceivable to believe that it was shot by a first-time director. I Shot Jesse James is a grimy gem of a film that announces the arrival of one of America's greatest filmmakers.
7/10
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