Frank and Jesse

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Matthew D Frank & Jesse interestingly frames Jesse James’ tale as loyal brothers turned outlaws. Director Robert Boris’ biographical Western drama Frank & Jesse (1994) for television is a fascinating take on how instrumental Frank James was in helping Jesse James become the infamous outlaw. It shows Jesse James and Frank James’ turn from country Confederate guys into fearsome bank robbers and train heist outlaws. Boris’ direction is as solid as television movies are going to get with cool shootouts and a few quickdraw scenes. The sincerity of the portrayal of brothers who look out for one another is really nice. Frank & Jesse is closer to Young Guns with its sheer entertainment value rather than the more profound film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. However, Frank & Jesse is easily one of the best television movies I’ve ever seen. Robert Boris’ script takes historical liberties, but also tries his best to account for how paranoid Jesse became and tired Frank got of Jesse’s insubordination. You actually get Frank living past his outlaw days and some depiction of the Pinkertons hunting them. It’s fairly engaging and a quick paced 105 minutes. I felt the sense of danger and urgency to their robberies as they are hunted by the law. The interpersonal relationships are the strongest aspect as this gang of outlaws do feel like brothers in arms. Rob Lowe is pretty cool as Jesse James. He doesn’t exactly go for the ferocious danger of Brad Pitt’s famous portrayal, but Lowe does a great job of being sinister and subtle here. He feels like a Western guy from Young Guns. I thought Bill Paxton was really excellent as Jesse’s serious brother Frank James. He feels more lived in as Frank with a more resolute demeanor. Alexis Arquette was aptly cast as Charley Ford, who betrays Jesse alongside Jim Flowers’ cowardly Bob Ford. Todd Field unbelievably appears as the mute robber Bob Younger in a fun role. Randy Travis’ steadfast robber Cole Younger is awesome as well. Dana Wheeler-Nicholson is so pretty and charming in her appearance as Frank’s wife Annie. Maria Pitillo is lovely as Jesse’s wife Zee. Sean Patrick Flanery is compelling as the moralistic journalist Zack Murphy, who chronicles Jesse James’ activities. John Pyper-Ferguson’s hyper Clell Miller is amusing. William Atherton is ruthless, furious, and engaging as the cruel Allan Pinkerton. Mary Neff’s Widow Miller and Richard Maynard’s John Sheets are really neat in their subplot encounter with Frank and Jesse. Editor Christopher Greenbury’s swift cuts keep the story moving and the robbery montages are outstanding. Cinematographer Walt Lloyd’s makes the near mythological exploits of Jesse James and his gang feel natural and that they really happened. Everything is in wide shots with only a few cuts to close-ups to emphasize a quickdraw duel or tense encounter. The warm brown woodland colors keep Frank & Jesse very down to Earth. Composer Mark McKenzie’s film score is pretty and understated. In short, Frank & Jesse is a highly entertaining Western with a lot of quality for a television movie. Rob Lowe and Bill Paxton are surprisingly excellent as Jesse James and Frank James. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/14/25 Full Review Michael N With Rob Lowe as Jesse James that should be all the hint you need that this movie would be awful. One of the worst casting decisions of any movie i have ever seen. While Bill Paxton does his best to carry the movie it just cant be done with a soul less co star Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 04/29/24 Full Review Audience Member Decent film and one that, I think, tries to be historically accurate. Did not realize Frank James never went to prison and lived until the early 1900's. Always liked Lowe and Paxton. Plan to revisit this one again someday. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Why would anyone consider this a good movie? It has twisted the facts so badly. Reuben Samuel was not shot by a railroad man (or whatever he called himself) and it was Pinkerton men who caused the death of Archie and cost Zerelda Samuels her arm. Cole did not shoot Bob in the woods after the Northwestern fiasco. Both Bob and Cole were captured and sent to prison, where Bob died. Cole served 16 years. I've heard of dramatic license but this is a far cry from that. I'm not sure what to call this movie, other than a twin to the Northwestern fiasco. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Un bon western même s'il saute un peu dans les temps. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Hollywoodized account of the James Gang with its share of factual errors. Portrays many characters only in extremes such as Pinkerton while the Ford Brothers are shown as whimpering followers of the James Brothers. Randy Travis is solid and gives us a good campfire song but hard to truly buy into Rob Lowe as the outlaw Jesse James. Best to seek out THE LONG RIDERS for a far better and more stylish account. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Frank and Jesse

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