Jesse James

Tyrone Powers stars in this slick Hollywood version of the story of American’s first, and most famous, outlaw and his older Brother Frank (Henry Fonda). From the outset, directors Henry King and Irving Cummings make it clear that Jesse James isn’t really a bad guy; he’s just a victim of greedy carpetbaggers who forced his hand and, in one of the film’s more surrealistic moments, blew up his mother. Powers plays the role a bit too lightly to be really effective, but Fonda’s gravitas as the older brother balances things out nicely. Randolph Scott makes a nice appearance as the sheriff who wants to help the James boys get justice, but Nancy Kelly is too dull to be believable as the girl of Jesse’s dreams. The film has some nice action sequences, especially the first train robbery the brothers commit, and cinematographers George Barnes and W. Howard Greene make every frame look gorgeous.