Dirty Little Coward

 I SHOT JESSE JAMES (1949)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Samuel Fuller's often engrossing first feature could either be about the morality of an outlaw shooting an outlaw or an outlaw shooting his own best friend, or both. Roughly hewn together with various fade-to-black transitions, it is nonetheless a solid punch in the gut western. As Fuller made more films, his punches grew more and more painful and he wouldn't be Fuller without them.

The oft-told tale of the Wild West involves Robert Ford (John Ireland), an outlaw hiding out with his best friend Jesse James (Reed Hadley). They were part of a gang that robbed banks and trains. Morality takes a backseat when it comes to rewards offered for Jesse James' capture. Ford sees this as his exit and his future with a theatre actress, Cynthy (Barbara Britton) whom he wishes to marry, not to mention a full pardon for his association with the James Gang and $10,000. A capture is not enough in Ford's mind and, for inexplicable reasons, he shoots Jesse in the back killing him instantly. The notoriety of a criminal shooting the infamous Jesse James begins and envelops him in a vise. Ford makes things worse for himself by appearing in a play that serves as a reenactment of his crimes. That means every performance, he must pull that trigger and remember what he did.

"I Shot Jesse James" is at its best when we witness Ford's guilt over shooting Jesse and how it affects him, at least on the surface. John Ireland has been directed to never let on any real guilt, thus it is hard to feel much sympathy and perhaps Fuller wanted none of that. Why Ford killed Jesse remains one of those lingering questions of Old West legends. He's willing to exploit the tragedy for money but it never transpires because he can't bring himself to keep pulling the trigger - nobody will forget what he did. One of the best scenes of the film shows Ford listening to a guitarist sing the Jesse James ballad and Ford does his best to maintain his composure. 

When silver is discovered in the mountains, Ford along with many others takes on the challenge of a prospector and makes a fortune. That may still not be enough to convince Cynthy who is mortified that he killed Jesse and lived to tell the tale as a performer. There is also the issue of a gentlemanly prospector named Kelley (Preston Foster) who Ford is jealous of, despite Kelley not having the slightest romantic interest in Cynthy. These subplots do not undermine the central focus of Ford's doom - they just show the noose getting tighter around Ford's neck. 

 "I Shot Jesse James" is crude, lewd and often lacking in subtlety and, heck, that pretty much defines the life and work of a maverick like Samuel Fuller. That also defines Robert Ford, that dirty little coward.