The Hero’s Journey pattern is mirrored very closely in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007). Following are a few of the concepts:
There is development of an innocent, in this case Robert Ford: it is not always the Hero who transforms; it could be argued that Robert Ford is the Hero in this movie and Brad Pitt (Jesse James) is the mentor or supernatural aid, who inadvertently encourages the Hero’s transformation and becoming of the New Self. This is reinforced by Brad Pitt’s taking of the Hero into a New (his) World.
It is not unusual for the Hero to be despised initially and, here, we see that Robert Ford is initially despised by Brad Pitt (Jesse James) and his elder brother. The elder brother acts as an interdictor here: he is not keen on the Ford brothers at all. [As an additional example, in the Harry Potter story, Harry is also despised by his relatives in his Ordinary World].
It is also not unusual for the Ordinary World and the characters in it to be non-believers of the Hero’s capacities: Jesse James and his elder brother do not believe that Robert Ford has it in him to be anything but a minor threat.
The Hero undergoes a period of punishment. In this case, Robert Ford is given the “privilege” of assisting and serving Jesse James.
The Hero’s New Self begins to expose itself in Robert Ford’s assassination of Jesse James’ cousin and his subsequent, near confrontation with Jesse James over the dinner table.
There are many more aspects of The Hero’s Journey in this story:
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