I Shot Jesse James

Play trailer

I Shot Jesse James

1949

1h 21m

Western

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Bob Ford (John Ireland) runs with the infamous Jesse James (Reed Hadley), but is wounded in a robbery. Upon recovery, Bob learns that his sweetheart, Cynthy (Barbara Britton), is no longer willing to stay with a man who could be gunned down at any moment. Hoping to buy his way out of a life of crime, Bob shoots Jesse and tries to collect on the government-issued reward money. But the law isn't kind to Bob, and Cynthy thinks he's a coward; his subsequent days are plagued by shame and fear.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Variety Staff

Variety

03/05/2009

While Preston Foster and Barbara Britton carry star roles, it's John Ireland, as the notorious Bob Ford, who dominates the story.

Go to Full Review

Thomas M. Pryor

New York Times

12/12/2007

2/5

A commonplace movie.

Go to Full Review

Time Out

08/25/2007

As such, more a psychological drama (emphasised by the use of close-up) than a Western, and a highly original film.

Go to Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

07/26/2010

Arresting

Go to Full Review

TV Guide

01/12/2010

2.5/4

Fuller uses effective close-ups in this stylish western, giving a fresh psychological twist to familiar narrative ground.

Go to Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

10/04/2008

A-

The focus of this delightfully perverse character study Western is not on Jesse James, but on Bob Ford being a man cursed by his infamy as a Judas figure.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

ashley h

@ashleyhobgood87 04/03/2021

I Shot Jesse James is a decent film. It is about Bob Ford who murders his best friend Jesse James in order to obtain a pardon. Preston Foster and John Ireland give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow in places. Samuel Fuller did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama.

See more

s r

@ScottR 07/12/2017

I lost interest and am not a fan on Ireland's work.

See more

08/15/2016

Sam Fuller's first film is a notch above the average western thanks to Fuller's odd touches.

See more

Frances H

09/20/2015

Better than usual forties western, where the main character is an anti-hero.

See more

05/03/2013

Samuel Fuller's debut isn't as strong as his other films, but there are some moments of nuance and brilliance and nuance among the basic tropes of the times. The bar scene in which Ford asks the musician to play the song that tears into him, the infamous bathtub scene, and the reenactment of the famous shooting on stage are all amazing scenes. However, the movie seems to lose steam throughout and the second half is just a basic western love triangle. The acting is solid and the story is okay, but ultimately the smaller parts of the movie work better than a whole package.

See more

07/13/2012

dark western? i love it

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Samuel Fuller

Director

Preston Foster

John Kelley

Barbara Britton

Cynthy Waters

John Ireland

Bob Ford

Reed Hadley

Jesse James

J. Edward Bromberg

Harry Kane

The Gunfighter

94%

89%

The Gunfighter

Watchlist

Blood on the Moon

83%

64%

Blood on the Moon

Watchlist

The Furies

92%

79%

The Furies

Watchlist

Winchester '73

100%

86%

Winchester '73

Watchlist

3 Godfathers

88%

78%

3 Godfathers

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Kim Newman on… I Shot Jesse James

View more photos

Synopsis

Bob Ford (John Ireland) runs with the infamous Jesse James (Reed Hadley), but is wounded in a robbery. Upon recovery, Bob learns that his sweetheart, Cynthy (Barbara Britton), is no longer willing to stay with a man who could be gunned down at any moment. Hoping to buy his way out of a life of crime, Bob shoots Jesse and tries to collect on the government-issued reward money. But the law isn't kind to Bob, and Cynthy thinks he's a coward; his subsequent days are plagued by shame and fear.

Director: Samuel Fuller
Producer: Carl K. Hittleman
Screenwriter: Homer Croy, Samuel Fuller
Production Co: Lippert Pictures
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 26, 1949, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 15, 2020
Runtime: 1h 21m
Sound Mix: Mono

Most Popular at Home Now