All the Pretty Horses (2000)

Adapted from Cormac McCarthy's award-winning novel, All the Pretty Horses cries for epic length but runs only 112 minutes for theatrical release. Drastically shortened during a lengthy stretch between production and release, this operatic drama feels as if huge chunks are missing, and what remains are fragments of a masterpiece that might have been. Unless a more definitive version is revealed, we must settle for this faint echo of McCarthy's ambitious narrative, in which dispossessed Texas rancher John Grady Cole (Matt Damon) ventures to Mexico in 1949 to revive his fading dreams of cowboy glory. With best friend Lacey Rawlins (Henry Thomas), Cole's odyssey takes him from youthful idealism to rugged, often horrific, and ultimately ennobling tests of integrity.

Much of Cole's ordeal is sparked by his forbidden love for Alejandra (Penelope Cruz), the beautiful daughter of his Mexican employer, whose family honor is threatened by their mutual attraction. A gunslinging teenager (Lucas Black) casts a black cloud over them all, and All the Pretty Horses becomes a test of Cole's ability to navigate a labyrinth of distorted truth, imprisonment, and hard-fought redemption. All of which begs for emotional depth and carefully developed characters, but this truncated film lacks both. Scenes jump from one to the next with obvious gaps between them, lending no opportunity for emotional investment. It's clear that director Billy Bob Thornton is attempting to redefine the Western, and the effort is laudable on many points, notably in its perfect match of visuals and a flavorful musical score. There's much to admire in this film, making its shortcomings all the more lamentable. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Excellent Buy! Very Happy.

Super fast service! The movie arrived in excellent condition and plays well. If you're not familiar with this title, you really have to consider buying a copy. Never cared for Matt Damon until I saw this. AND the movie is really much better than the book By Cormac McCarthy. December 14, 2008

The Wild West moves to Mexico

I wanted to love this movie, but somehow the chemistry of the main characters didn't mesh.Cormac McCarthy is a fine writer and this is one of his better books, but unfortunately it did not translate to film with the same intensity.

All the Pretty Horses is a character study about a waning lifestyle. Similar to the Wizard of OZ, this story is about seeking what you want in a different location and then discovering that what you were after was right at home all along. The problem isn't with the story, the problem is trying to squeeze too much into a two hour format. Everything seems disjointed, even the relationships between the main characters. If you're a McCarthy fan, you might want to skip this one. No Country for Old Men is a far superior interpretation of his work.
The Shut Mouth Society
The Shopkeeper June 17, 2008

It could have been a much better film

All the Pretty Horses is a movie about a young Texas rancher played by Matt Damon, John Grady Cole, who upon hearing that the ranch his family has lived on for many years will now be sold by his mother sets out to find a ranch where to make his fortune.

He travels to Mexico to look for work on a ranch with his friend, Lacey Rawlings, played by Henry Thomas and the two encounter many adventures. As the movie progresses, these two find another young man in search of a similar dream and they allow him to ride with them even though their intuition tells them it is not in their best interest and soon we find ourselves witnessing the result of poor choices that take these young men to imprisonment, fights, murder, assassination as they transform from idealistic souls into rugged and cynical individuals.

At times the scenes are horrible, the cruelty of imprisonment in Mexico, the lack of respect for the law add to tests of endurance and character.

Matt Damon falls in love with Alejandra, played by Penelope Cruz, a beautiful young woman who is the daughter of the Mexican rancher where they finally find work and the appearance of great opportunity. But this proves to be the catalyst to disaster for Alejandra dares to go against tradition, against the wishes of her family, and forgets that in Mexico... "a reputation is all a woman possesses."

By allowing herself to get involved with Matt Damon she angers her father and discovers that he "can stop loving her."

The movie is filmed beautifully and these actors are great but the story is not developed with the depth necessary to flawlessly go from one scene to the next and we find ourselves wishing they would offer another version of a movie that could have been an epic.


June 16, 2008

Some people just don't get it...

I loved this movie. It's beautiful written, acted and shot. The scenes are slow-paced, but for strength of character, it doesn't get any better than this. If you're expecting Unforgiven, this isn't it. This is a small drama about a young boy with integrity out in search of himself. Yes, it could probably benefit by adding some of the girth it lost on the cutting room floor, but those reviewers that didn't like it simply didn't understand the story Billy Bob was trying to tell. After seeing THERE WILL BE BLOOD this month, it's astonishing to me that critics can rave over a story that has no plot, no themes, no empathatic protagonist, and yet rank it over a film like ALL THE PRETTY HORSES. For real drama about real people, check this one out. You won't be disappointed. January 22, 2008

A Western About Choices: Men and Women Choosing Which of the "Pretty Horses" They Will Pursue

The novel and movie touch on many excellent themes, such as: What do you do when you love someone more than they love you, and they don't return your love. This conflict is illustrated in the main characters', Penelope Cruz's "Alejandra' and Matt Damon's "John Grady," relationship.

The story is also about prioritizing promises, choosing which to keep and which to break. Both Alejandra and John make promises in their youth, promises that seem like the best solution at the time. But the movie suggests that no matter how "good" or "moral" of a person you become, you will likely choose to break some of your promises, spoken and unspoken. And you will be defined by what promises you keep and what promises you break. In the film, Alejandra chooses to keep her promise to her Aunt, a promise to not see or communicate with John Grady anymore. And Alejandro chooses to break her unspoken and spoken promises to John Grady, promises that she would love, communicate, and spend her life with him.

The story also focuses on this universal question: What do you do when you realize with certainty that your most important dream(s) will not come true? You may not be able to achieve your own personal dreams or freedoms, but in understanding the pain involved in that concession, you may have tremendous motivation to help others achieve their dreams and freedoms.

John Grady is not able to achieve his dreams with Alejandra. But he chooses not to implode, to stuper in depression, or to become inactive. Instead, he takes terrific risks to free the old man who has been unfairly imprisoned, and he risks his life (even getting shot) to return Rawlins' "horse" (figuratively and literally) to him.

Unfortunately the cinematography, shot framing, lighting, and editing are below average, but the story is (by excellent writer Cormac McCarthy) not completely disabled by the filmmakers. I recommend this film for the quality of the story and it's examination of complex and intelligent moral reasonings. October 8, 2007

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