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I Shot Jesse James

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I Shot Jesse James

Released Feb 26, 1949

1h 21m

Western

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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.

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Variety Staff

Variety

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

Mar 5, 2009

Full Review

Thomas M. Pryor

New York Times

A commonplace movie.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 12, 2007

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Time Out

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

Aug 25, 2007

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Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Arresting

Jul 26, 2010

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TV Guide

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

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 12, 2010

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

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.

Rated: A-

Oct 4, 2008

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ashley h

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.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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s r

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

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

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

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Frances H

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

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/20/15

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Audience Member

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

dark western? i love it

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

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Samuel Fuller

Director

Preston Foster

John Kelley

Barbara Britton

Cynthy Waters

John Ireland

Bob Ford

Reed Hadley

Jesse James

J. Edward Bromberg

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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

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