To those he robbed and terrorized, and to the families of those he admittedly killed, he may have been just a criminal, but in the sensational newspaper articles and dime novels chronicling the James Gang throughout the 1870s, Jesse (Brad Pitt) was the object of awe and admiration. He was a Robin Hood, they suggested, targeting railroad owners and banks that exploited poor farmers. He was a man with a tragic cause, a wronged and wounded Confederate soldier striking back against the Union that had ruined his life. Most importantly, to an increasingly buttoned-down and citified population leading ordinary lives, he was the last frontiersman - a symbol of freedom and the American spirit, a charismatic rebel who flouted the law and lived by his own rules... by all accounts, a legend.

Foremost among his admirers was Robert Ford (Casey Affleck), an idealistic and ambitious young man who had devoted his life to the hope of one day riding alongside his idol. He could never have imagined that history would ultimately mark him as the "the dirty little coward" who shot Jesse in the back.

"Stunning visuals, award-worthy performances, and a script that takes incredibly rewarding risks, 'Jesse James' is a masterpiece and one of the best films of the year."
Brian Tallerico, Rotten Tomatoes