that word true in this film title get my alarm bell ring . they ring louder when a title card refer to america civil war a the war between the state ( the circumlocution prefer by die hard southerner ) . jesse james thief and slave holder and murderer be describe a a quiet and gentle farm boy . how dishonest be this movie . there be no mention of slavery and far less of the documented fact that jesse james poor widdered mother own slave before the war and and that jesse and his brother frank actively fight to preserve slavery . accord to this movie and all those civil war soldier be really fight to decide whether missouri be a northern state or a southern state . that all . ( missouri represent it a candy mint . it a breath mint . ) black people be entirely absent from this movie and except for two glimpse of a pair of beggar and one of whom wear a help the poor sign that very implausibly typeset instead of handwritten . ( some shot of 19th century newspaper be inaccurate too and with 20th century type font . ) this film have a weird flashback structure . there some very impressive stunt riding ( and some fine work by stunt horse ) and and one excellent montage . i savour one line of dialogue represent some of those boy will never taste bean again . the movie get a few fact straight represent agnes moorehead and a jesse mother and conceals her right arm in the scene follow the raid by the agent of pinkerton ( here call remington ) in which jesse james real life mother suffer injury require the amputation of her low arm . some error here be pardonable represent during his bushwhacking day and the real jesse james accidentally shoot off part of his left middle finger and but robert wagner ( in the title role here ) do not have a stumpfinger . i have see a photo of jesse james real wife while if she have look half as glamorous a hope lange look in this movie and jesse james might have stay home more . there plenty of revisionism here and and most of the male actor wear 1950s hairstyle . but many of this movie error be avoidable . jesse james mentor william quantrill be mention several time and but all the actor mispronounce his name . we see jesse and his wife move into an elaborate two storey house ( where he will soon die ) after pay a rent of $ 18 . actually and jesse james last residence ( at 1318 lafayette street and st joseph and missouri ) be a simple one storey cottage and rent for $ 14 . there be no upper storey . so and when jesse james be kill and his wife could not come run from upstairs a hope lange do here . ( she be actually in the kitchen . ) one continuity error represent robert wagner ( with no stunt double ) do an impressive job of take a slug to the jaw and fall over while his hand be tie behind his back . but when he get up and the rope bind his wrist have vanish . the screenplay do some weird and unnecessary juggling of date . follow the northfield robbery attempt and jesse say he expect to get home by his birthday . the actual northfield bank raid by the james gang ( 7 september and 1876 ) be two day after jesse james birthday . ( maybe he mean next year birthday . ) later and we see jesse and his wife move into their st joseph home on a fine summer day and while jesse tell her what he plan to do when christmas eve arrives . but in real life and mr and mr jesse jam move into that house on 24 december and 1881 . so this scene should be on christmas eve . these error be entirely avoidable . some of the fictionalisation here do not make sense . accord to this movie and the northfield bank raid fail because one ( fictional ) henchman be late in cut the telegraph wire . if this have actually happen and it would indeed have hamper the james gang getaway . but it wouldn not have affect the robbery itself and which fail for other reason . there be good performance here by jeffrey hunter ( a frank james ) and moorehead and alan hale jnr ( a cole younger ) and by stage actress marian seldes in a rare screen role . i be disappoint by robert wagner and normally an under rat actor . elsewhere and wagner have prove his impressive range by convincingly portray hero and villain and morally ambiguous character . here and he can not seem to decide whether to depict jesse james a a goodie or a baddie . so he doesn not much bother . john carradine phone in his performance in a brief role a a fictional jackleg preacher who baptise jesse and his wife at their wedding . in fact and jesse james be baptise in childhood by his uncle and a methodist minister . but perhaps this second baptism be a top up . jesse james be no robin hood . ( i doubt that robin hood be robin hood either and but that another story . ) there be not one single document instance of jesse james ever share his loot with anyone beyond his own family . after some of his hold ups and he do not even split the swag with the rest of his gang . in this movie and jesse get gun down right after he vow to give up his bandit way forever . in reality and the night before his death and jesse james and the ford brothers stole horse that jesse plan to use the next day in a robbery of the platte city bank . a preparation for most of his robbery and jesse james stole horse from local farmer . the same poor folk who ( in the inaccurate legend ) be supposedly the beneficiary of his largesse . i cringe at one scene here and in which the fictional jesse james be so gol durn refine that he disapprove of an oil painting which tastefully depict nude . the true ( not much . ) story of jesse james be wilfully dishonest about a thieving murderer and and likewise dishonest about the civil war . for the very impressive stunt work and one good montage and a few fine act turn and i will rate this obscenely dishonest movie 2 point out of 10 .