DVDs out this week - 4/4/08

Apr 4 2008 by Michael Green, Flintshire Chronicle

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Cert 15, 153 mins, Warner Home Video, Drama/Western, also available to buy DVD £16.99/collector's edition DVD £20.99/Blu-ray £27.99/HD DVD £27.99)

Starring: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Paul Schneider, Jeremy Renner, Mary-Louise Parker, Sam Shepard.

IN 1881, the final year of Jesse James's extraordinary life, the James Gang continues to rob banks and railroad owners.

Evading capture and the enemies who would love to collect the bounty on his head, Jesse (Pitt) is initially flattered by the attention of devoted fan Bob Ford (Affleck) but soon grows concerned by the young man's fixation.

Hero worship sours into jealousy as Bob realises that he can never woo the public's affections in the same way as his charismatic idol. So when authorities propose to kill Jesse, Bob steps forward.

“I've been a nobody my whole life,” he whines. “As long as I can remember, Jesse James has been as big as a tree. I'm ready for this.”

Aided by his brother Charley (Rockwell), Bob bides his time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and knock Jesse off his pedestal.

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford is a visually arresting tale of obsession and betrayal, melding an A-list Hollywood cast with New Zealand director Andrew Dominik's arthouse sensibilities.

Affleck blows Pitt and everyone else off screen as James's historically maligned assassin, with a performance of such naked emotion and intensity, it quite literally takes your breath away.

Crawling beneath the skin of a callow, envious pup, Affleck delivers a virtuoso turn of nuance and rare conviction.

Roger Deakins's gorgeous cinematography and Patricia Norris's breathtaking production design create some truly unforgettable imagery, like the night-time hold-up of a steam train.

Hugh Ross's prosaic narration enriches the unfolding drama (“Insomnia stained his eye sockets like soot”), providing even greater insight to the characters' strained emotions.

A two-disc collector's edition DVD, complete with 44-page book and the documentary Death Of An Outlaw, is also available.

DVD extras: none stated.

Rating: ****

HITMAN (Cert 15, 90 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Action/Thriller, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99)

Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Olga Kurylenko, Ulrich Thomsen.

NAMED after the numerical barcode on his head, Agent 47 (Olyphant) is one of the most revered assassins for hire in the business.

Years of training prove invaluable when Agent 47 agrees to assassinate moderate Russian president Belicoff (Thomsen) and finds himself dodging bullets from the Russian military and Interpol, headed by agent Mike Whittier (Scott).

Hunted by former allies and wary of making new alliances, Agent 47 crosses paths with Nika (Kurylenko), a beautiful, damaged girl with connections to the president.

She pricks his conscience and begs him to stop killing.

“Belicoff has to die,” Agent 47 tells her coldly. “As long as he lives, they will never stop looking for you.”

Hitman successfully recreates the mood and iconography of the top-selling videogame series, from the anti-hero's shadowy past (he's bred to kill by an exiled brotherhood of the church) to the elaborate weaponry and signature look (smart black suit, white shirt, red tie, shaved head with a unique barcode tattoo at the back.)

Alas, Xavier Gens's film is also as cold, clinical and unfeeling as its protagonist, rushing from one frenetic set piece to the next without pausing for such trifling matters as character development or plot.

Hitman relies heavily on directorial brio but scenes of the eponymous assassin shooting, punching and slashing his adversaries quickly become repetitive.

Olyphant has little opportunity to make us care for his killing machine, while new Bond girl Kurylenko flaunts her breasts to order and sheds tears from those big eyes as her feisty femme tells her protector, “If you're looking for a reason not to kill me, I don't have one.”

DVD extras: In The Crosshairs featurette, Digital Hits featurette, Instruments Of Destruction featurette, Settling The Score featurette, 4 deleted scenes (Ovie's Pool, Hospital, A Different Train Platform, Udre's Death), alternative ending, gag reel.

Rating: **