The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Yep, the plot's not the main concern here.

Which you might have already guessed, since the big ending's given away in the title anyway.

TAOJJBTCRF (as it will never be known) is a beautifully executed character study of the US's first celebrity—and the US's first celebrity stalker.

Jesse James, the fabled outlaw, is at the end of his gunslinging career. And nobody's been following that career more closely than a swivel-eyed wingnut called Robert Ford (Casey Affleck).

Robert De Weirdo joins Jesse for a train robbery before worming his way into the gang proper—a stubbly bunch of ageing crims including one poor sod called Dick Liddil (can't have been easy for him when they called the school register).

He's torn between wanting to be with Jesse, and wanting to be Jesse—and it's blimmin' sinister.

Avid Merrion in a stetson and spurs, this guy.

He squirmingly tells Brad Pitt's Jesse, while he's in the bath: "We're both the same size."

A foolhardy boast, as anyone who's seen those banned pics from ten years ago can attest.

"It's interesting the many ways you and I overlap," he crawls to Jesse over breakfast.

"You're the youngest of three James boys, I'm the youngest of five Ford boys. You have blue eyes, I have blue eyes."

Stone me son, you're like identical twins. And you both have two legs and a head as well? Get out of here!

It's this uncomfortable mix of hero-worship and creepy lust that Affleck gets just right.

As a lead performer, he's pretty impressive. But seeing as it's his first-ever lead performance, he's nothing short of astonishing.

Pitt's brilliant too, as usual, and the pair of them will be clearing some space on the sideboard come awards season for this.

Despite the film's length, there's not much more to Jesse James than this pair's twisty relationship.

But what it lacks in action and pace, it more than makes up for with the quality of the two central performances— not to mention buckets of beauty.

Every shot's a masterpiece. Even the self-consciously arty ones where it looks like someone's sneezed on the lens and wiped it in.

And the plinky-plonky music, by chief Bad Seed Nick Cave, is eerily brilliant and fits perfectly with the plaintive mood.

A smart, soulful and totally modern Western, this.

And while there are loads of standout performances, it's fair to say that Casey Affleck's performance is the one thing you'll leave the cinema in awe of.

He's sinister, measured and brilliantly believable.

And you won't notice any family resemblance to big brother Ben.

Largely because he can act.

Watch the trailer for this film below...