The True Story Of Jesse James (1957)

After the disastrous failure of a bank raid in Northfield, Minnesota, Jesse James (Robert Wagner) and his brother Frank (Jeffrey Hunter) hide out in the mountains. Through a series of flashbacks, we find out the "true" story of Jesse James and how he came to be the most notorious bank and train robber in the West. A remake of of the 1939 film JESSE JAMES that's close enough that its screenwriter Nunnally Johnson is credited along with the new screenwriter Walter Newman and directed by Nicholas Ray. I wouldn't take that true in the title literally but with a grain of salt. A perfectly decent if unexceptional western on its own terms, it's still a major letdown because you expect more from Nicholas Ray especially coming off such recent films as JOHNNY GUITAR, REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and BIGGER THAN LIFE, great movies all and PARTY GIRL yet to come. Ray doesn't seem invested in the material, I can only guess it was a paycheck job. Wagner seems ill equipped at this stage of his career to carry such a heavy role, he wouldn't come into his own until the 1960s. The actual Northfield raid is handled very well and is the highlight of the film. With Hope Lange, Agnes Moorehead, Frank Gorshin, Frank Overton, Marian Seldes and Alan Hale Jr.