In a world dominated by movies depicting life in the fast lane, it is an accomplishment when a film comes along that takes the slower, less traveled road and comes of teaching more life lessons than a high tech thriller ever could.
In his latest work, All the Pretty Horses, Billy Bob Thornton takes viewers into a world long thought forgotten. He creates a place where the frontier still exists and where it is quite possible to get on a horse and ride off into the sunset.
Matt Damon stars as John Grady Cole, a young man disillusioned with his life in Texas, but who still holds dear to his dream of wide open spaces and a ranch larger than the eyes can see.
Cole and his childhood friend, Lacey Rawlins (Henry Thomas), pack up their gear and head toward a new and more adventurous life in Mexico. Right before they cross the Rio Grande, the two friends meet a mysterious, 13-year-old lone rider by the name of Jimmy Blevins, played by Lucas Black, Thornton’s tag team partner in his other acclaimed film, Sling Blade.
Rawlins immediately senses that Blevins, with a horse too mighty for his means and a volatile nature, is bad news. However, Cole, sensing a kindred spirit in the young cowboy, allows his ride with them to Mexico.
What ensues is a mess that ends with Blevins’ disappearance and leads to Cole and Rawlins getting a job at La Purisima, one of the last true horse and cattle ranches in Mexico. Here begins one of the strongest storylines of the film.
While breaking wild mustangs for a rich owner, Cole falls for his mysterious and willful daughter, Alejandra (Penelope Cruz). Their forbidden love is the heart of the movie and the driving force behind Cole’s actions. Their affair becomes full-fledged despite opposition by everyone from Rawlins to Alejandra’s strict aunt.
The plot takes a sharp turn when Cole and Rawlins are hauled off to jail where they meet Blevins once again, only this time he is accused of horse theft and murder. All three are forced to stare death in the face, and their fates, though different, meet in an specially poignant scene that seems to tie the whole movie together.
All the Pretty Horses is not a movie made great by a collection of remarkable scenes, rather its grandeur comes from its quiet, fluid motion as it takes the viewer on a long, slow ride that flows together into something quite special. Damon shines as he presents the world through Cole’s eyes. His chemistry with Cruz and his camaraderie with Thomas is evident throughout the movie. He seem to shed his blond, pretty boy image and develops a rugged exterior coupled with a more evident emotional outcry.
Thornton wows with his exquisite visual imagery and his extremely faithful adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s book. His film reminds of other times when the word freedom meant something else altogether.
Rating: A
