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I Shot Jesse James

Play trailer Poster for I Shot Jesse James 1949,  1h 21m,  Western Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 75% 8 Reviews Tomatometer 67% 1,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
75% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Bob Ford (John Ireland) runs with the infamous Jesse James (Reed Hadley), but is wounded in a robbery. Upon recovery, Bob learns that his sweetheart, Cynthy (Barbara Britton), is no longer willing to stay with a man who could be gunned down at any moment. Hoping to buy his way out of a life of crime, Bob shoots Jesse and tries to collect on the government-issued reward money. But the law isn't kind to Bob, and Cynthy thinks he's a coward; his subsequent days are plagued by shame and fear.

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety Mar 5, 2009
While Preston Foster and Barbara Britton carry star roles, it's John Ireland, as the notorious Bob Ford, who dominates the story. Go to Full Review
Thomas M. Pryor New York Times Dec 12, 2007
2/5
A commonplace movie. Go to Full Review
Keith Uhlich House Next Door Aug 22, 2007
Fuller goes deeper into his protagonist's tortured psyche, uncovering a sublimated sense of love that only finds expression as climax to his death rattle. Go to Full Review
Peter Martin ScreenAnarchy 3 days ago
3.5/5
In a tidy 81 minutes, Samuel Fuller grabs attention from the very first scene ... Fuller knows how to tell a story, and how to stage it for maximum efficiency and dynamic effect. Go to Full Review
Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Jul 26, 2010
Arresting Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Oct 4, 2008
A-
The focus of this delightfully perverse character study Western is not on Jesse James, but on Bob Ford being a man cursed by his infamy as a Judas figure. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Han S Jul 12, 2017 I lost interest and am not a fan on Ireland's work.
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I Shot Jesse James

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Samuel Fuller

Director

Preston Foster

John Kelley

Barbara Britton

Cynthy Waters

John Ireland

Bob Ford

Reed Hadley

Jesse James

J. Edward Bromberg

Harry Kane

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I Shot Jesse James

I Shot Jesse James (1949) I Shot Jesse James (1949) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Bob Ford (John Ireland) runs with the infamous Jesse James (Reed Hadley), but is wounded in a robbery. Upon recovery, Bob learns that his sweetheart, Cynthy (Barbara Britton), is no longer willing to stay with a man who could be gunned down at any moment. Hoping to buy his way out of a life of crime, Bob shoots Jesse and tries to collect on the government-issued reward money. But the law isn't kind to Bob, and Cynthy thinks he's a coward; his subsequent days are plagued by shame and fear.
Director
Samuel Fuller
Producer
Carl K. Hittleman
Screenwriter
Homer Croy, Samuel Fuller
Production Co
Lippert Pictures
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 26, 1949, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 15, 2020
Runtime
1h 21m
Sound Mix
Mono
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