All the Pretty Horses (2000) Rated: Rated PG-13 for violence and some sexuality. Runtime: 116 mins. Director: Billy Bob Thornton Writer: Cormac McCarthy (novel), Ted Tally (screenplay) Tagline: Some passions can never be tamed. Cast: Matt Damon, Henry Thomas, Penelope Cruz, Lucas Black, Ruben Blades....complete cast Genre: Drama/Western
Most memorable quote: "...where it ain't all fenced in, sold off and played out"
by Frank Wilkins
I love movies that simply tell a story. No special messages about society, no ulterior motives...just a great story. All the Pretty Horses is one of those movies. This is a screen adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy novel written by Ted Tally. Though I didn't read the novel, watching the movie definitely piqued my curiosity about how wonderful the book must be. Then I remembered how I hate reading fiction, so I left it at that. The film is flooded with wonderful pastel, wide-open, big-country scenes. I often found myself looking at the scenery instead of the main subject matter. I remember doing this during Dances with Wolves as well. Billy Bob Thornton's attention to composition, color and detail pay off big in this story about a time and lifestyle that is long gone. A time when you could simply ride your horse off into the sunset and start a new life.
Matt Damon plays John Grady Cole, a young rancher who pulls up stakes and rides on horseback to Mexico when he is forced to sell the family ranch. It is hard to imagine Damon as a young cowboy but his accent and presentation is perfect. He joins up with his podner Lacey Rawlins, played by Henry Thomas (E.T., Suicide Kings, Legends of the Fall) and together they unknowingly embark on the misadventure of their lives. They cross paths with teenage, crackerjack, sharpshootin' Jimmy Blevins, played by Lucas Black. (I knew I recognized this kid but couldn't place him. He was the young boy who befriended Karl on Slingblade). He stood out in that role and steals the show in this movie as well. You sense trouble with this kid early on. We all had friends like Jimmy....care-free, wild-ass, lawless and able to snap at any moment
John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins land ranch-hand jobs working for a wealthy Mexican horseman/rancher. Cole falls for the boss' hot daughter played by Penelope Cruz (Vanilla Sky and Blow) and things move along smoothly until we realize that Jimmy Blevins had indeed caused trouble. The remainder of the movie is split between the forbidden relationship of Damon and Cruz and Damon's time spent in a Mexican prison. The prison scenes and the subsequent consequences of being sent to prison in Mexico are very disturbing. Not unlike Midnight Express, we are probably taken a bit too close to what it would be like trying to survive in a foreign prison.
This movie was wonderfully photographed, the actors were perfectly cast and I just loved the story. I did not feel weighted down with a complicated message intertwined throughout the plot. I was able to just sit back, enjoy the scenery and let the game come to me. Sometimes it is refreshing to not have to work too much to watch a movie.
I think women would enjoy this movie for the love story, the beautiful horses, the incredible vistas, and of course Matt Damon. It receives a relatively high macho factor as there is a little bit of gun play and a lot of Penelope Cruz. The prison sequences are a bit disturbing and tended to stick with me for several days, so I gave it a significant Se7en factor. I don't give many movies a reel rating of 5 but the more I think about this one, the more it makes me want to read the novel and I don't read fiction. Frank Wilkins
Screen formats: Widescreen anamorphic
Subtitles: English, French
Sound: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Other Features: Color; region 1 encoding; interactive menus; scene access; cast/crew biographies; production notes; theatrical trailer.
All the Pretty Horses (2000)
