Set in 1880s America, the film chronicles the complex and psychologically charged relationship between legendary outlaw Jesse James and the young, obsessive Robert Ford, who idolizes yet ultimately betrays him. Director Andrew Dominik crafts a meditative, elegiac Western that blurs the line between myth and reality, hero and villain. The film is celebrated for its stunning cinematography, haunting score, and career-defining performances from Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck.
Andrew Dominik films the title in its title. The film is the genre as elegy: Brad Pitt's outlaw is already dead in every frame, waiting for the boy with the gun.