Foremost among his admirers was Robert Ford, an idealistic and ambitious young man who had devoted his life to the hope of one day riding alongside his idol. He could never have imagined that history would ultimately mark him as the "the dirty little coward" who shot Jesse in the back.

But who was Jesse James, really — behind the folklore and the selling of newspapers? And who was Robert Ford, just nineteen and a member of Jesse’s inner circle, who was able to bring down such a formidable figure when lawmen across ten states had tried and failed? How did they come to be friends and what happened between them in the days and hours leading up to the gunshot that would end one man’s life and become the definition and sum total of another’s?

No one will ever know the whole truth.

Based on the novel by Ron Hansen, director Andrew Dominik's 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' tries to provide answers as it delves into the private lives of America’s most notorious outlaw and his unlikely assassin...

Q: Why do you think Jesse James still interests us?

Andrew Dominik: I think you have to look at the origins of his legend. Jesse James was the most famous man in America and nobody knew what he looked like and they couldn’t catch him. So, I’m not surprised his story has endured or that Hollywood took it up. In one of the first films about him he was actually played by his own son, Jesse James Jr. Personally I sparked to Ron Hansen’s book, which was an interesting mix of the mythological and the human.

Q: Your version of the story seems contemporary in many ways: the story of a star-struck fan and the hero who disappoints him. It’s almost torn from the tabloids.

Andrew Dominik: Exactly (laughs). You think of Jesse James and you think of the old West, but that era also marked the beginning of the mass media and news photography. Jesse James sold newspapers in his time; he was good for circulation. So, in that way it’s contemporary, but in terms of human behaviour I think the idea of things being contemporary is a really odd one. If you read Suetonius or any of the other Roman historians, for example, you realize that human beings, their motivations and desires, have changed not at all over the thousands of years of recorded history.

Q: On that score, how would you explain the intense relationship between Jesse James and Robert Ford, which is at the heart of the film?

Andrew Dominik: In fact, I didn’t think of it as a love story, but it has parallels in the way that people project their idealised image onto someone else and fall in love with that. Bob’s very enamoured with Jesse, it’s an infatuation almost, and he ends up being very disappointed by him. Jesse doesn’t match his fantasy. And Jesse is a person who feels really bad about himself, so he’s susceptible to flattery. He wants to feel better about himself, but I think he gradually comes to understand that he’s being adored for an image that has absolutely nothing to do with who he really is and it ultimately makes him feel more isolated still.

Q: Did you end up feeling any affection for either of the characters yourself?

Andrew Dominik: For Bob and Jesse? Yes, I love them both! I feel really strongly about Bob in particular. I think he’s brave and he’s the innocent here who doesn’t know what he’s getting into and doesn’t know himself. He’s like the most embarrassing side of yourself. Contrary to the image of him after the assassination, he’s also reluctant to do what he does.

Q: Brad Pitt seems a perfect fit for Jesse James, but did you cast for physical resemblance at all?

Andrew Dominik: Casey looks an awful lot like Bob Ford. Bob was a baby. There’s a famous photograph taken of him just three days after the assassination and he’s just a kid. As for Jesse, he looks very different in every photograph. Brad’s definitely better looking than Jesse.

Q: Does Brad Pitt’s connection with the character have anything to do with the fact that he’s as famous in our day as Jesse James was in his?

Andrew Dominik: Brad's real famous and understands what it's like to be hunted. It’s also true that if you are making a film in Hollywood or even independently, even though you need a big name actor, you also have to come up with a story where the character is big enough for a movie star to play him. Brad as Jesse James just worked. For one thing, he brings such authority to the part that you immediately get why people claimed that Jesse James’ mere presence in a room could make it electric with excitement or tension. Brad couldn’t have been more passionate about this movie or the role either and he’s not afraid to crack some eggs to make an omelette [laughs].

Q: Casey Affleck makes a real impression as Robert Ford, yet he’s mostly been thought of as a supporting actor before now. What made you think of him for the role?

Andrew Dominik: We auditioned a lot of people and Casey came in and he was amazing the first time he tested. He’s just got this aura of defeat that Ford had about him, the sadness and insecurity, and also this weird flipside of bravado. The interesting thing is that I’ll always bring people back a couple of times because some people are good auditioners. When Casey first came in I think in his mind he had no chance of getting the part and he just nailed it. Casey is best when he thinks he’s losing, and he came in and it was as if he sang an aria, and it was his part. But I got him back, so now he knew he had a chance and he was choking. So, we just kept bringing him back, which was torture for him, but I had to make sure.

Q: And did he surprise you once he was on set?

Andrew Dominik: Casey is a really good actor and he’s really, really intelligent. Did he surprise me? Basically, you keep shooting until the actors do surprise you. You’re watching the monitor and you’re waiting until even you don’t know what the character’s going to say next. Even the director needs to be surprised, because unless something really powerful and unexpected is happening between the actors, it’s not happening on the screen.

Q: What was it like making a film on a much bigger scale than ever before?

Andrew Dominik: There are all these wonderful toys you can play with and if you want to do something, you can do it. It’s fantastic. You get a train, you get to build towns, to shoot things till they’re right. We actually came in under budget but when we were shooting the train, for example, we needed another night and the studio’s attitude is just okay, whatever you need. And that’s very different from back home, when they’d start tearing pages out of the script rather than give you any more time.

Q: Did you look to Western films or the Western tradition as a point of reference in making this film?

Andrew Dominik: I looked at films like 'McCabe and Mrs. Miller' and 'Heaven’s Gate' and Terence Malick’s work. But I didn’t really think of the film as a Western. I mean, they ride horses, but that’s about it. That said, there are obviously all kinds of Westerns: there’s the revisionist Western, there’s the acid Western, and so on. In terms of the human drama, though, I’d say this is closer to a gangster film. Brad calls it a psychological drama. As for the historical setting, it’s the 1880s in Kansas City and Missouri, so it’s very urban, it’s not the Old West and it’s not the frontier. There were no cowboy hats and the gun Jesse gives Robert has a Bakelite handle, which looks quite modern; the telephone had just been invented; and the electric light arrived about three months after Jesse’s death. So, it’s more Victorian than anything and that’s how they dressed, so the movies I would reference are things like 'Barry Lyndon' or 'The Elephant Man' or David Lean’s 'Oliver Twist'.

Q: People might be tempted to expect a shoot ‘em up, but this isn’t that kind of film, is it?

Andrew Dominik: Personally, I don’t like movies that curry favor with the audience. All the movies I like are ones that don’t come to the audience but expect the audience to meet them half-way. I’m not particularly interested in plot per se either. The thing that really appeals to me about film is its musicality. That’s what I liked about Ron Hansen’s novel too: this amazingly lyrical tone and his ear for the way people speak. So, I want the film to be like a favorite song, something that gets under your skin, causes your hair to raise and moves you. As a director I also think you have to make a movie that you want to see yourself. You just hope other people see your film and experience different emotions, have feelings about what they see. I think a movie should hit you in the pit of your stomach.