Movielogr
The True Story of Jesse James (1957)
Directed by Nicholas Ray
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Having fought with the Confederacy during the Civil War, Jesse James and his brother Frank dream of a farm life in Missouri. Harassed by Union sympathizers, they assemble a gang of outlaws, robbing trains and becoming folk heroes in the process. Jesse marries his sweetheart, Zee, and maintains an aura of domesticity, but after a group of lawmen launch an attack on his mother’s house, Jesse plans one more great raid—on a Minnesota bank.
Rated NR | Length 92 minutes
Actors
Robert Wagner | Jeffrey Hunter | Hope Lange | Agnes Moorehead | Alan Hale Jr. | Alan Baxter | John Carradine | Rachel Stephens | Barney Phillips | Biff Elliot | Frank Overton | Barry Atwater | Marian Seldes | Chubby Johnson | Frank Gorshin | Carl Thayler | John Doucette | Anthony Ray | Jason Johnson | Joe Di Reda | Clegg Hoyt | Sumner Williams
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06/08/2020 | Home Theater | Blu-ray | Owned | 6 stars |
| (Average) 6 stars |
Viewing Notes
I actually liked Robert Wagner as Jesse James, and Jeffrey Hunter does a good job in the limited role of his brother Frank, but neither are really used to their full potential and the story is awkwardly, unevenly told.
The animal cruelty to horses is unforgivable. Two scenes in particular made me cringe: the two horses getting pushed over a cliff into water a good 50 feet below (apparently this was stock footage from the 1939 version of the film which resulted in one of the horses dying); and a scene where Jesse is riding full speed on railroad tracks chasing a train and the horse obviously stumbles between the wooden ties.
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