Main Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Ellen Barkin, Ciaran Fitzgerald, Ruaidhri Conroy, Patrick Doyle, David Kelly
Release Year: 1993
Country: IE/UK/US/JP
Run Time: 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Mike Newell directs Jim Sheridan's screenplay (based on a story by Tim Palmer) in this enchanting and magical modern-day fairy tale. Gabriel Byrne plays Papa Reilly, a widower who lives with his two young sons, Ossie (Ciaran Fitzgerald) and Tito (Ruaidhri Conroy), in the slums of Dublin. There seems to be no hope for their bleak existence until the children's grandfather (David Kelly) arrives. Accompanying him is a beautiful and imposing white stallion named Tir na nOg, a magical creature from ancient Irish legends. The stallion takes a shine to the boys and they love the horse in return. But a legion of corrupt police plot to impound the horse for the purpose of selling it to a rich businessman. Ossie and Tito sneak off to rescue Tir na nOg. Grabbing the stallion, they get their father and, as the police chase after them, they make their way west. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
Into the West starts with such high doses of mystical blarney -- earnest Irish folk music, a magical white horse -- that it threatens to take an early and permanent detour into preciousness. But that's not a very likely outcome for a script by unblinking realist Jim Sheridan, even at his most fanciful. In fact, in the capable hands of director Mike Newell, Sheridan's story of two boys on a journey of discovery is surprisingly grounded, earning greater suspension of disbelief with every stride deeper into the Irish countryside. (And what a countryside, as seen through the lens of DP Tom Sigel.) With these combined storytelling skills, a fairy-tale horse targeted toward its destination as if by remote control is not only easy to swallow, but tastes sweet going down. Child actors Ciaran Fitzgerald and Ruaidhri Conroy submit performances that are captivating and true, especially impressive because they have only each other to play off for large stretches of the movie. Their interactions are key to sustaining tension in a dozen different scenes. The supporting work of Gabriel Byrne as their father shouldn't be overlooked, either. Byrne goes against type as a layabout and low-level grifter, a generally uneducated man whose intense grief and resignation make the mere prospect of fatherly attentiveness seem impossible. Yet he's got as much to learn on this journey toward Tir na nOg as his sons, and as the movie progresses, it's clear exactly how much Byrne has invested us in his character. The result is a movie with its sorrows and its triumphs, its quiet and its whimsy, neither too heavy for children nor too slight for its deeper-thinking audience. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Jamie Leonard - ad; Pauline Delaney - Nan Connors; Phelim Drew - Sergeant Brophy; Dave Duffy - Morrissey; Dave Finnegan - Man Selling Car; Clive Geraghty - Smiley; Brendan Gleeson - Inspector Bolger; John Kavanagh - Hartnett; Tim McDonnell - Shopkeeper; Colm Meaney - Barreller; Johnny Murphy - Tracker; Owen O'Gorman - Cafferty; Mark O'Regan - Welfare Man; Derry Power - Hotel Clerk; Anita Reeves - Mrs. Murphy; Tony Rohr - Traveller; Gladys Sheehan - Woman in Lift; Joan Sheehy - Woman with Pram; Stanley Townsend - Rico; Kevin Reynolds - Reporter; Dave Carey - Resident; Sean Lawlor - Policeman With Riot; Ray McBride - Mr. Murphy; Frank O'Sullivan - Policeman; Ros Hubbard; Liam Cunningham - Younger Policeman; Joe Pilkington - Detective; Jim Norton - Superintendent O'Mara; Michael Sheridan - Reporter; John Hubbard
Credit
Mark Geraghty - Art Director, Gabriel Byrne - Associate Producer, Susan Slonaker - Co-producer, Consolata Boyle - Costume Designer, Mike Newell - Director, Peter Boyle - Editor, Enya - Composer (Music Score), Patrick Doyle - Composer (Music Score), Jamie Leonard - Production Designer, Newton Thomas Sigel - Cinematographer, Bob Weinstein - Producer, Harvey Weinstein - Producer, Guy East - Producer, Jonathan Cavendish - Producer, Tim Palmer - Producer, James Mitchell - Producer, Michael Pearce - Screen Story, Jim Sheridan - Screenwriter, David Keating - Screenwriter
Into the West is a film about two young boys, Tito (Conroy) and Ossie (Fitzgerald), whose father (Byrne) was "King of the Travellers" until his wife, Mary, dies during the birth of their second son, Ossie. The boys' grandfather (David Kelly) is an old story-telling Traveller, who regales the children with Irish folk-tales and legends. When he is followed by a beautiful white horse called Tír na nÓg (meaning "Land of Eternal Youth" in Irish), from the sea to Dublin, where the boys and their father now live, the boys are overwhelmed with joy and the dreams of becoming cowboys. The horse is stolen from them and they begin their adventure to get their mystical horse back. They escape the poverty of a north Dublin council estate, and "Into the West" where they find that Tír na nÓg is not just any horse.
