Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

Bob Ford saw a quick way to solve all his problems, and all it would take was the murder of his friend, the notorious criminal Jesse James. Writer/director Samuel Fuller's I Shot Jesse James is a fictionalized account of the titular act, but it's also a gritty exploration of betrayal and what comes after. Ford finds himself pursued by gunmen who want to make a name by killing the man who killed the Man; his only income comes from re-enacting the murder in a traveling sideshow; and his girl leaves him. Loveless, penniless, a pariah and a freak, Bob Ford's moment of glory destroyed him as sure as it made him famous — a very modern idea of celebrity if ever there was one. The Webster Film Series screens I Shot Jesse James at 8 p.m. at the Moore Auditorium on the Webster University campus (470 East Lockwood Avenue; 314-968-7487 or www.webster.edu/filmseries) as the initial film in its "Summer of Sam" program; a different Fuller film plays every Thursday through July 31. Tickets are $5 to $6.
Thu., July 3, 2008