• Rating:
• Genre: Drama
• Movie Type: Modern Western, Coming-of-Age
• Themes: Miscarriage of Justice, Star-Crossed Lovers, Interracial/Cross-Cultural Romance
• Director: Billy Bob Thornton
• Main Cast: Matt Damon, Henry Thomas, Lucas Black, Penélope Cruz, Rubén Blades, Bruce Dern, Sam Shepard
• Release Year: 2000
• Country: US
• Run Time: 117 minutes
• MPAA Rating: PG13

Plot

Director Billy Bob Thornton explores coming of age in this Western based on Cormac McCarthy's prize-winning novel of the same name. John Grady Cole (Matt Damon) and Lacey Rawlins (Henry Thomas) are young Texan men who seek a more fulfilling life as cowboys in the slowly fading Old West, circa 1949. One night, the duo head for Mexico in hope of finding some adventure and employment, and along the way run into Blevins (Lucas Black), an even younger drifter who has supposedly stolen a horse from private property. Begrudgingly, Cole and Rawlins take him under their wing before they eventually find themselves in Mexico, working for a wealthy landowner (Ruben Blades). His stalwart and beautiful daughter Alejandra (Penelope Cruz) develops a romantic interest in Cole, which threatens the friendship between him and Rawlins, not to mention their living quarters, where Alejandra's watchful aunt (Miriam Colon) warns Cole that she has professed allegiance to her. Cole and Rawlins' thrill-seeking adventures with Blevins and the stolen horse catch up to them, however, and they are held prisoners in a brutal penitentiary, where their cowboy instincts are put to the ultimate test. Cole, meanwhile, wants nothing more than to get back to Alejandra and resume their love affair. The film also features Bruce Dern in a small role as a judge who eventually gives much-desired guidance to Cole. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Review

The mythology of the Western is given a solid treatment by director Billy Bob Thornton in his first film since 1996's Sling Blade, proving he is a filmmaker with strong instincts. Still, Pretty Horses' brevity in some moments hints there was a richer, more shaded picture before its heavy re-editing, and as a result, the work is sometimes a bit unsteady. That said, the script is extremely well-adapted by Ted Tally (who skillfully transferred The Silence of the Lambs to the screen), capturing the rugged beauty of the West with complete authenticity. The leads are believable and well cast (though Penelope Cruz still struggles with her American characterizations), and despite its shortcomings, the movie remains an admirable and reverential poem to a much-forgotten time. Remarkably, Pretty Horses' tumultuous production history isn't apparent in the final version, although a reported two hours of footage was cut from it; the battle over final cut eventually led Miramax Films to take over domestic distribution from partner Columbia Pictures. Additionally, Damon ended up taking the lead role after Leonardo DiCaprio passed on it, a redux of Damon's casting in The Talented Mr. Ripley, another DiCaprio pass. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Matt Damon - John Grady Cole
• Henry Thomas - Lacey Rawlins
• Lucas Black - Jimmy Blevins
• Penélope Cruz - Alejandra
• Rubén Blades - Rocha
• Bruce Dern - Judge
• Sam Shepard - J.C. Franklin

Robert Patrick - Cole; Julio Oscar Mechoso - Captain; Miriam Colon - Alfonsa; Jesse Plemons - Young Grady

Credit

Jonathan Gordon - Executive Producer; Marty Stuart - Composer (Music Score); Billy Bob Thornton - Director; Billy Bob Thornton - Producer; Doug Hall - Costume Designer; Bruce Heller - Co-producer; Clark Hunter - Production Designer; Barry Markowitz - Cinematographer; Sally Menke - Editor; Sally Menke - Executive Producer; Fred Murphy - Second Unit Director; Fred Murphy - Second Unit Director Of Photography; Fred Murphy - Additional Cinematography; Ted Tally - Screenwriter; Buddy Van Horn - Stunts Coordinator; Stephen Flick - Sound/Sound Designer; Stephen Flick - Sound Director; Mary Vernieu - Casting; Traci Kirshbaum - Set Decorator; Paul Ledford - Sound Mixer; Jim Hensz - First Assistant Director; K. Alexander Wilkinson - Composer (Music Score); Thomas Minton - Set Designer; Max Biscoe - Art Director; Richard Johnson - Art Director; Lisa Satriano - Second Unit Assistant Director; Anne McCarthy - Casting; Robert Salerno - Producer; Mary Ann Madden - Co-producer; Peter A. Brown - Sound/Sound Designer; Peter A. Brown - Sound Director; Larry Paxton - Composer (Music Score); Cormac McCarthy - Book Author

Similar Movies

The Man from Snowy River; Primo Baby; Return to Snowy River; Wrangler; Legends of the Fall; The Horse Whisperer; La Primera Noche; Brokeback Mountain; The Kentuckian; Cowboy; Dead Man's Walk

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