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I Shot Jesse James

Play trailer Poster for I Shot Jesse James 1949 1h 21m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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78% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 66% 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.
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I Shot Jesse James

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 Time Out Aug 25, 2007
As such, more a psychological drama (emphasised by the use of close-up) than a Western, and a highly original film. Go to Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Jul 26, 2010
Arresting Go to Full Review TV Guide Jan 12, 2010
2.5/4
Fuller uses effective close-ups in this stylish western, giving a fresh psychological twist to familiar narrative ground. 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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David K @RT61474040 Feb 28, 2026 The film fell flat for me. I saw it as part of TCM's Theme from May 2025 - The Defining Frontier - that showed how the Western genre had changed to reflect the current American identity in any specific time. This particular night of films focused on films that reflected the American psyche. Unfortunately, it was an evening stacked with films like The Searchers, Duel in the Sun, and Winchester '73, that beautifully exemplified the evening's theme. In that context, it comes up short. Specifically, that's because each of those films feature outstanding character studies of men and women consumed by anger or rejection or revenge. This film, however, shows a weak character, Bob Ford, who wants for the love of a woman, makes bad choices, and then stumbles through the fallout. That failure of a great director to squeeze that out of the main character is a significant fail. See more ashley h @ashleyhobgood87 Apr 3, 2021 I Shot Jesse James is a decent film. It is about Bob Ford who murders his best friend Jesse James in order to obtain a pardon. Preston Foster and John Ireland give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow in places. Samuel Fuller did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama. See more s r @ScottR Jul 12, 2017 I lost interest and am not a fan on Ireland's work. See more Aug 15, 2016 Sam Fuller's first film is a notch above the average western thanks to Fuller's odd touches. See more May 3, 2013 Samuel Fuller's debut isn't as strong as his other films, but there are some moments of nuance and brilliance and nuance among the basic tropes of the times. The bar scene in which Ford asks the musician to play the song that tears into him, the infamous bathtub scene, and the reenactment of the famous shooting on stage are all amazing scenes. However, the movie seems to lose steam throughout and the second half is just a basic western love triangle. The acting is solid and the story is okay, but ultimately the smaller parts of the movie work better than a whole package. See more Jul 13, 2012 dark western? i love it See more Read all reviews
I Shot Jesse James

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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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