This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Such a frustrating disappointment

Highly Overrated But Still Good

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The first thing that jumps to mind upon seeing this film (the color version, which, to my good fortune, was also in High Definition) is that it is beautiful. The cinematography is absolutely sparkling, with scenes such as the iconic Railways Launch or the one where Zee approaches a cave to meet Jesse stuck in memory despite the film coming from 80 years ago. The night photography is also brilliant, and the scenes where the Gang meets (in shacks lit by a dim light, musty and suspended in shadows) boast of a brilliant man behind the camera.The plot is superb - I'm not sure about historical accuracy, but as the film weaves through a conclusion, then a new beginning, then another conclusion, and a new beginning, and then *the* conclusion, the plot holds it tightly together, without making it drag at any point in time. The writing is brilliant, with the dialogue shining in every scene - special props for the dialogue of the senile Major (the Uncle) who enjoys ranting, and whose rants we enjoy in turn.The acting is first-class, as is the characterization - Frank is a standout, being masterfully portrayed by a slick, suave Henry Fonda, and his lines and actions are the most understated in this film. Tyrone Power plays Jesse with a beautiful firmness, portraying both his unthinking ruthlessness (without descending into Nicolas Cage-ish histrionics) and his conflicted desires with painful accuracy. Finally, Nancy Kelly (who looks incredible here) plays Zee with pathos (her anguish when her son is born) and with just the right amount of spunk, so as to not look like a stereotypical "strong female character". All the other actors deserve equal mention, but let me summarize - the performances in this film are brilliant.In addition, let me state that there cannot be any spoilers as to the ending of this film - in fact, knowledge of how it ends made the penultimate scene take me as close to nail-biting as I've ever gotten, and every moment it was tension, tension, tension - superb!To put it short, this is one heck of a film, and not just that - it's one of the doggonedest, gawl-dingedest, dad-blamedest films I've seen in a long time.

JESSE JAMES (20th Century-Fox, 1939), directed by Henry King, stars Tyrone Power in the title role as the legendary outlaw of Missouri, Jesse Woodson James (1847-1882). Aside from Jesse James, there's his brother, Frank James (1843-1915) also taking the spotlight, perfectly played by Henry Fonda as part of "The Legend of Frank and Jesse James." Released at the time when westerns were becoming full scale productions, with actors who've never appeared in westerns before now taking part of that genre, this one offered Power a chance to broaden his range from light romantic comedies, occasional costume dramas, or occasional musical to western setting where his guns do the talking. Rather than an accurate account on Jesse James, the writers mix fact and fiction instead. Taken from an original screenplay by Sam Hellman and Nunnally Johnson, with historical data assembled by Rosalind Shaffer and Jo Frances James, the "Forward" passage fills the viewer to what's to be shown: "After the tragic war between the states, America turned to the winning of the West. The symbol of that era was the building of the Trans-Continental railroads. The advance of the railroad was, in some cases, predatory and unscrupulous. Whole communities found themselves victimized by the ever-growing orge - the Iron Horse. It was this uncertain and lawless age that gave to the world, for good or ill, its most famous outlaws, the brothers of Frank and Jesse James." As the opening (and later closing) titles begin to roll using the same underscoring borrowed from Tyrone Power's earlier success, IN OLD CHICAGO (1937), the story, set in Liberty, Missouri, fades in with Barshee (Brian Donlevy), a representative from the St. Louis Midland Railroad, and his three assistants, going from farm to farm informing its landowners of a railroad coming through their property with the government to confiscate it and owners getting nothing. In "good faith," Barshee offers them a dollar an acre. Anyone refusing to believe his scare tactics and sign over their property to him, Barshee's men use their methods of "persuasion." This is not the case as the men approach the farmland of widow woman, Mrs. Samuels (Jane Darwell). Her son, Frank (Henry Fonda), comes to her aide when he finds she's being peer pressured to sign and not to bother seeing a lawyer. A fight ensues between Frank and Barshee, with Jesse (Tyrone Power), the other son, standing guard holding his pistol on the other men until the Frank is finished with Barshee. After the intruders get forced off their land, the James brothers form a meeting with neighboring farmers to fight for their rights and acquire enough money for a lawyer. In the meantime, Barshee gets a warrant from the sheriff to have the James boys arrested for assault with attempt to kill. Major Rufus Cobb (Henry Hull), editor and publisher of the Liberty Weekly Gazette, whose daughter, Zerelda (Nancy Kelly), loves Jesse, runs over to the farm to warn the boys to advise them to hide in the mountains, which they do. After Barshee comes to arrest the brothers, an accident on his part takes place, causing the death of their sickly mother. This incident soon starts Frank and Jesse James' vengeance against the railroad, followed by train and bank robberies that lead to their rise as wanted outlaws. Will Wright (Randolph Scott), United States Marshal, is hired by railroad president Mr. McCoy (Donald Meek), to have the James gang, consisting of Bob (John Carradine) and Charlie Ford (Charles Tannen), arrested and put in jail. Easier said than done.Others members of the cast include J. Edward Bromberg (George Runyan); Slim Summerville (The Jailer); Ernest Whitman ("Pinky" Washington, Frank and Jesse's loyal farmhand); and little John Russell (Jesse James Jr.). Keep a sharp eye for the bearded Lon Chaney Jr. playing one of Jesse's gang members; and Gene Lockhart in a cameo as a bearded citizen commenting on Jesse James' Wanted-Dead or Alive sign with $1,000 reward.Of the many movies dealing with the legend of Jesse James, including the long forgotten 1927 silent edition starring Fred Thomson for Paramount, this edition is obviously one of the best. Whether the film toys with the facts or not really doesn't matter. There's plenty of action-packed excitement ranging from robberies, chases and humor to keep this 106 minute product from being anything but a disappointment. Power may seem all wrong at in his title role, but as the film progresses, he convincingly changes from boyish farmer to mustached hard-hitting outlaw. Fonda on the other hand, is excellent as his brother Frank. Sporting a heavy mustache himself, he nearly draws more attention from Power with his interpretation of a soft-spoken, self-confident spitting tobacco chewer who, in one memorable scene, has a brother-to-brother talk to Jesse about his mad ways and treatment towards one of his friends, even at the risk of getting shot himself. Nancy Kelly, still new to the movies in leading lady capacity, makes a fine "Zee," the woman who loves and marries Jesse, becoming his long-suffering wife, while Henry Hull hams it up with his constant catch phrase of "Shoot them down like dogs." Another bonus besides Randolph Scott in fine support is its rich full Technicolor along with its reported actual location filming in and around Missouri.One of the most televised of the Power and/or Fonda movies, JESSE JAMES, distributed to home video and later DVD, was also broadcast on numerous cable TV networks, including American Movie Classics (1999-2003); Fox Movie Channel, and Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: August 25, 2012). Highly recommended viewing along with its sequel: THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES (1940) once again with Henry Fonda. (****)

When I was a kid, back in 1949, this movie was already 10 years old. One Sunday, my brother comes inside and tells my Dad that "Jesse James" and "The Return of Frank James" were playing downtown at the Pix. My father dropped his newspaper, told my Mom to "hold dinner" and put us in the car to see these two gems. The extremely popular "Jesse James" quickly spawned a sequel; both made by A-list director (Henry King & Fritz Lang). The movies meld together to perfection.Beginning with a great screenplay by Nunnally Johnson, top flight performances, and the exceptional beauty of original 3-strip Technicolor, these movies are often imitated, never equaled. 1972's "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" was obviously an imitation of "Jesse James" in mind, in spirit.We no longer have top stars like Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda, but at least they live on in videos. Wonderfully committed to the Confederate cause, these movies take a few liberties with history, are accurate in many details; but most important in casting "the railroad" as the bad guys. I remember my history, and while many like to bellyache about slavery, the real slave-masters of the era were the railroads -- who stole the earnings and impoverished the lives of the ordinary Americans living in their path. As with slavery, with the full blessing of the government.Once hard to see, I now watch this double feature every year. They never grow old.

This is really a good movie. Even though it was 1939, it features Technicolor and, although not as good as modern color, it comes out very nice on DVD.I looked up this movie only after seeing the recent "Assassination of Jesse James" with Brad Pitt as Jesse and Casey Affleck as Bob Ford. This one romanticizes Jesse James quite a bit, even showing townsfolk unveiling a memorial statue after his death in 1882. Tyrone Power is Jesse Woodson James, with Henry Fonda as his brother Frank James. It depicts them as honest, hard-working young men on a small farm in Missouri with their elderly mother. After the Civil War the railroads are expanding towards the West, and shady railroad men are going around buying up land at an almost worthless $1.00 per acre, with the threat that the government will take it from them if they don't sign to sell.When they show up at the James house, their mother refuses to sign and the men get rough. One tries to hit Frank with a hand tool and Jesse shoots the man in the hand. So, back in town they get a warrant for Jesse's arrest, and eventually Jesse willingly goes to jail with a promise of a light sentence and he could go straight afterwards. But that deal is false and before long Frank and their friends break him out. This further hardens them against the railroad.So the movie depicts Jesse's hatred for the railroad as his reason for becoming a railroad robber, then eventually a bank robber. Always on the run, he manages to marry Nancy Kelly as Zerelda 'Zee', and they have a boy, Jesse Jr. In the more recent Pitt movie Bob Ford is depicted as a rather young man who grew up with a Jesse James fascination, convinced James to let him join the gang, then shot Jesse in the back as Jesse was straightening a picture in his home. Here John Carradine, father of the recently famous Carradine brothers, is Bob Ford, looking a bit older than Jesse. Randolph Scott is Marshall Will Wright who has sympathy for Jesse, and tried to broker a deal where Jesse would serve minimal time, but the authorities turned on Jesse and Will and decided to try him then hang Jesse. MAJOR Spoiler: After the near miss at the attempt to rob the Northfield, Minn bank, Jesse barely escaped, and eventually made it home. Changing his name, Zee convinced him that they should head to California and start a new, honest life. They were packing up to go when Bob Ford shot Jesse in the back as he was standing on a chair, to take down the framed "God Bless Our House" banner that Zee had made herself some years earlier.