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Published 19:03 IST, July 12th 2020

Brad Pitt's 'The Assassination of Jesse James' was offered to Jeremy Renner? Know facts

Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck starrer The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was a critically acclaimed film. Read on and check out its trivia

Reported by: Riddhi Adsul
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The 2007's American epic revisionist Western film, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is an adaptation from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name. The film deals with the story of the relationship between Jesse James, played by Brad Pitt and Robert Ford, essayed by Casey Affleck, focusing on the events that lead up to the titular killing. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford gained positive critical reviews and Pitt & Affleck's performances were called their career-best. Check out the trivia and lesser-known facts. 

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Trivia and lesser-known facts 

  • As per IMDB reports, this film is Brad Pitt's personal favourite movie that he has acted in.
  • The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is based on Jesse James. His descendants have claimed that this is the most accurate film made on him. They were especially pleased by Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck's performances.
  • Reportedly, according to Andrew Dominik, Brad Pitt's contract stated that the movie's name could not be changed.
  • Jeremy Renner was formerly considered for the role of Robert Ford. He was reportedly rejected as too old. 
  • In The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, the town of Creede, Colorado was recreated in Alberta at a cost of $1 million. 

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  • As per real stats, Jesse James suffered from a syndrome that made him blink much more than the average person. Although it's mentioned at the start of the film, Brad Pitt barely blinks during most of his scenes.
  • In the beginning scene, half of Jesse James' left middle finger is seen missing. The top half of Brad Pitt's left middle finger was digitally erased in every scene in which his hands appeared.
  • Unlike most western, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford's male characters don't wear Stetsons, but more period-appropriate derby and stovepipe hats. Jesse James wears a Homburg.
  • The original cut of the film was nearly four hours long. The 4-hour version played at least once, most prominently at the Venice Film Festival. But it was later edited to two hours and forty minutes at the studio's request. At one point, Pitt and exec producer Ridley Scott put together their own cut. When it tested poorly, they went back to Dominik's cut.
  • The poem that Frank James quietly recites to himself early in the film, before the train sequence, is "Sonnet 62" by William Shakespeare.

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Updated 19:03 IST, July 12th 2020

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