Yet another cinematic interpretation of real-life legendary outlaws Jesse (Rob Lowe) and Frank James (Bill Paxton) and their gang, "Frank & Jesse" tells their story in decent if unremarkable fashion. Four years after the Civil War, Frank & Jesse return to the family man, where a thuggish "railroad man" (Luke Askew) causes the death of their younger brother. Their subsequent revenge kick-starts their careers as outlaws; newspapers detail their exploits, they become heroes in the eyes of the public, and notorious lawman Allan Pinkerton (William Atherton) resorts to unscrupulous methods to bring them to justice.
Lowe, who also co-produced the film, is merely OK as the volatile, trigger-happy Jesse, who takes to the criminal life quite readily. Predictably, Lowe is outshone by Paxton, who does well as the more even-keeled Frank. Given that Pinkerton is portrayed the way he is, it's no surprise that Atherton was cast in the role - still, it was one of his more interesting parts in the wake of characters like Walter Peck in "Ghostbusters" and Richard Thornberg in "Die Hard" 1 and 2. The solid supporting cast also includes singer Randy Travis (who also provides occasional narration), Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Maria Pitillo, Sean Patrick Flanery, Alexis Arquette, Todd Field, John Pyper-Ferguson, and Nicholas Sadler.
I'm told that if a viewer really wants a more *factual* version of this true story, they are better off watching "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"; most other interpretations take great liberty with the facts. But they do largely capture the basic nature of the Jesse James character; it's just too bad this version didn't have a more colorful actor playing Jesse.
In any event, I found this reasonably entertaining, although the music score (by Mark McKenzie) is overly melodramatic.
That's Paxtons' father John playing the working man on the train.
Six out of 10.
Lowe, who also co-produced the film, is merely OK as the volatile, trigger-happy Jesse, who takes to the criminal life quite readily. Predictably, Lowe is outshone by Paxton, who does well as the more even-keeled Frank. Given that Pinkerton is portrayed the way he is, it's no surprise that Atherton was cast in the role - still, it was one of his more interesting parts in the wake of characters like Walter Peck in "Ghostbusters" and Richard Thornberg in "Die Hard" 1 and 2. The solid supporting cast also includes singer Randy Travis (who also provides occasional narration), Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Maria Pitillo, Sean Patrick Flanery, Alexis Arquette, Todd Field, John Pyper-Ferguson, and Nicholas Sadler.
I'm told that if a viewer really wants a more *factual* version of this true story, they are better off watching "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"; most other interpretations take great liberty with the facts. But they do largely capture the basic nature of the Jesse James character; it's just too bad this version didn't have a more colorful actor playing Jesse.
In any event, I found this reasonably entertaining, although the music score (by Mark McKenzie) is overly melodramatic.
That's Paxtons' father John playing the working man on the train.
Six out of 10.