ScoobyWell Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Deedee Let's pretend this picture is a total work of Western fiction. Putting all those historical pros and cons about the real outlaw aside, it is easier to evaluate this humdinger of a movie. Populated by dozens of first-rate character actors, 'Jesse James' comes alive with personalities, period flavor and emotional nuances. You can feel the hum of a late nineteenth century community through all the bustling movement and characterizations. The primary cast is excellent with an outstanding performance by Henry Fonda as Frank James, who plays a volcano under the veneer of an iceberg. He's pitch-perfect throughout and he and Power communicate with subtle glances and the slightest nods making you believe they are brothers.However, while wonderfully scripted, Fonda's part doesn't put much demand on emotional range. Additionally, he's only in about two-thirds of the movie. Compared to Fonda, Power, who is thrilling, is in almost every scene. As Jesse he must be the ardent and tender young lover, the dangerous and vengeful farm boy seeking reparations for crimes against his family, the haunted and hunted son, brother, husband, father and outlaw, by turns in a violent rage and then unsure of his course. Power displays an impressive range as he plays through all of these emotional transitions--and more--seamlessly and beautifully. I take exception with the idea that acting honors go to Fonda, when Power, IMO, dominated this picture in every way. I also feel there is another dimension to consider in Power's portrayal, which is that Power, here just a 25 year old actor, got audiences to spend money on theater seats. He continued to do so throughout his career. 'Jesse James' was among the very top movies in popularity in 1939. Another of Power's movies, 'The Rains Came' with Myrna Loy, was also among the top five or six in popularity that year. People loved Power. Many of us still do. (His beauty here still puts a catch in my throat and I've been a fan for over fifty years!) I think there's even a rarer aspect to acting that only some stars possessed, which is their talent to communicate personal warmth and charisma to an audience. Isn't that what makes actors into stars? A few actors had that; Power had that in spades.

lreynaert This brilliant movie illustrates eminently a brutal chapter in Western socio-economic history: the creation of the iron horse, the transcontinental railroad. One of America's greatest novelists called it 'The Octopus'. It strangled without mercy the farmers with its multiple sucker-bearing arms. In Frank Norris' novel, the strangulation happened through highly exaggerated prices for the transportation of farm products; in other words, an extortion by a monopoly. In this movie, the railroad owners try to force the farmers to sell their land for a pittance by lying ('the government will give you nothing') or by naked violence. They need new land for extensions of their railroad grid. One of the families which resist the violent extortion is the James household (Frank, Jesse and their mother). When their house is destroyed by arson and their mother is killed, the brothers take the law in their own hands and seek revenge by robbing the railroad clients, the passengers.This movie shows a lawless and corrupt country, where the power lies in the hands of the money men, who have friends in high places and who control the decision makers (the lawmakers and the judges). On the other hand, at the end of the 19th century, the press (the media), here the 'Liberty Weekly Gazette', was still independent, and supported the farmers against blatant arbitrariness.This is a superb movie, not only for its perfect depiction of a not so distant past, but also, for its still highly relevant themes, like social and economic power, corrupt politics and freedom (of speech). Excellent direction by Henry King with an outstanding cast (T. Power, H. Fonda, R. Scott). A must see.

Steffi_P The strict enforcement of the production code from 1934 onwards put the kibosh on that popular series of heroic gangster movies which dealt with charismatic lawbreakers in the modern era. However, the code was far more lenient when it came to outlaws from days gone by. This is perhaps one of the reasons why the Western made such a popular comeback, and why crime and vengeance became such common themes in it. This, the earliest entry in the 1939 Western revival (it even predates Stagecoach, the movie often touted as the revival's flagship) tells a vaguely accurate history of the Robin Hood of the Old West, a man to justify criminal activity if ever there was one.Fox Studios judged this an ideal vehicle for their top swashbuckling star and Errol Flynn rival, Tyrone Power Jr. Power was never a great actor but he was slowly shaping up into a decent and charismatic leading man. This is perhaps his most serious role to date, shedding his boyish cheerfulness for a more authoritative demeanour. Henry Fonda, playing brother Frank, was already the better actor, possessing a mean, brooding presence that Power could never quite grasp. The finest performance here though is that of leading lady Nancy Kelly. She is powerfully dramatic yet believable, really bringing out Zee James as the marginalized wife and adding a layer of poignancy to the movie. On a lighter note, Henry Hull plays a lovable comic relief part that is effectively funny but is separate enough from the narrative that he doesn't detract from what is essentially a Western drama.Jesse James has the hallmarks of its writer-producer Nunally Johnson and its director Henry King, who collaborated on a number of tight and atmospheric productions. At a time when background scores were becoming ever more elaborate and intrusive, Johnson oversaw productions that sometimes contained no music at all between the opening titles and the end credits. Here we have stirring dialogue scenes in which we don't have to have our emotions patronised by sweeping strings. Chase scenes are accompanied only by the thunder of hoof beats and the eerie twitter of birdsong. In complement to this muted styling, Henry King encourages slow, thoughtful performances from his cast, often holding players in long take, such as that powerful scene of Nancy Kelly lying on the bed clutching her baby and telling of her fears. Under King's guidance, the acting is understated and naturalistic. Even that unashamed ham John Carradine is at his most restrained, and Henry Hull though a comedy character does show dramatic presence when required.But what is perhaps most striking about Jesse James, is that it doesn't actually look like a Western. Rather than opening with a shot of the wide open plain or some dusty cow town, we begin on a resolutely small-scale, in mid-shot with a farmhouse filling the background. Throughout the movie the saloon halls are dark and oppressive, and even the outdoor scenes are a maze of fences and overhanging trees. This is typical Henry King, whose emphasis on stark, tight shot framing gave an ominous and highly individual look on the movie's world. When he does widen the shot, it is for startling effect, such as the angle change in the opening sequence where the young boy is roughed up by the railroad men. This isn't to say King doesn't understand the outdoors. It's just that whereas, say, John Ford gives the broad landscape a character, King gives every tree, rock and fence post a character. His is a Wild West as gritty and claustrophobic as the mean streets of New York, making Jesse James in more ways than one an heir to those classic gangster movies. This is a world away from the light, cheery cowboy flick, a picture of great dramatic intensity, that just as much as Stagecoach announced that the Western had arrived as a serious genre.

jlivesay2010 I have been watching this movie since I was in the fourth grade. Its one of the best westerns i have ever seen. It does a real good job on showing the true story of Jesse James about how he was a hero. And considering people over the last 140 years have considered him to be Americas Robin Hood. They do good at that to. You can learn a lot from this movie about Jesse James but not just him also Frank James and Bob Ford and how the railroad at this time was taking everybody land. And how Jesse and Frank just said to everybody "We are not going to stand for this we are going to fight the railroad." I like what it says at the beginning about the railroad and the west. The music goes good with this movie. Especially at the end and thats real sad but Major Cobb does say a lot of good comments about Jesse.