I think the most accurate rating for "All The Pretty Horses" is "7.5" of 10, but I give it "8" since we can't do fractions on Imdb. I read some of the negative user reviews of this movie, and I must say those reviewers obviously don't know how to follow and appreciate a good story. That became more obvious when I read some of their other reviews. This is a story of two young men who knew nothing but 1940s Texas ranch life, and head out to Mexico for an adventure, to work as "cowboys" for a while. What they encounter is totally unpredictable, as well as how they handle their situations. Well-acted and beautifully filmed, this really is a fine movie. When appropriate, the actors pause, reflect, figure out what to do, as we would in real life. No "rapid fire" dialog here!
I saw the DVD version at home. The film opens with great horses sounds all around you, making full use of the 5.1 channels of DD surround. As you would expect, the picture is flawless. However, I was disappointed in the very spartan "extras" on the DVD.
CAUTION -- A SPOILER OR TWO FOLLOW --
John (Matt Damon) is the main character. His grandfather had just died, his mother, aspiring stage actress, is the only heir to the ranch near San Angelo, Texas, and decides to sell it to an oil company who will pay 3 times what it is worth. So, without a family and a ranch, John decides to take off for Mexico, about 150 miles south. His best friend, Lacey (Henry Thomas of "E.T." fame) goes with him. They cross the Rio Grande, and down the road meet up with a youngster, Blevins (Lucas Black) on a fine horse, and with a fine gun that he can use very nicely (Wallet now has a hole in it!). They suspect he is a runaway who might even have stolen the horse, but let him tag along. After a rainstorm, Blevins who is afraid of lightning, loses his clothes, his gun, and his horse. Approaching the next town, he sees his horse and gun and steals them back at night. Blevins goes his separate way.
John and Lacey encounter a herd of cattle and join the cowboys, get accepted as hands, "break" 16 horses in 4 days, inpress the owner, who asks them if they rode all the way from Texas by themselves. John notices owner's daughter, Alejandra (Penelope Cruz), she notices him, they develop a secret love affair. Owner finds out, doesn't approve, knows about Blevins, calls police on John and Lacey, who end up in jail with Blevins who had been there since they split up some weeks earlier. On the way to the penitentiary, Blevins is taken out and shot.
In prison, both John and Lacey, in separate incidents, get stabbed, John killing his attacker in the mess hall. Suddenly both of them are out, "bought" by Alejandra's father, in return she promises not to see John anymore. He gets her phone number, calls, meets at train station, they have a night together, John asks her to go to Texas where they will live happily ever after. Next morning she refuses, saying "I gave my promise, and if I don't honor that then I will have no honor."
John, in a daring move, retreives the 3 horses, gets shot in the leg, finds Lacey, and they head back to Texas. Over the border they are arrested without i.d., taken to the judge (Bruce Dern) who realizes John's story is real and orders them freed. At the end John's voice is heard, "There must be a God watching over us, otherwise how could we survive even a single day?"
I saw the DVD version at home. The film opens with great horses sounds all around you, making full use of the 5.1 channels of DD surround. As you would expect, the picture is flawless. However, I was disappointed in the very spartan "extras" on the DVD.
CAUTION -- A SPOILER OR TWO FOLLOW --
John (Matt Damon) is the main character. His grandfather had just died, his mother, aspiring stage actress, is the only heir to the ranch near San Angelo, Texas, and decides to sell it to an oil company who will pay 3 times what it is worth. So, without a family and a ranch, John decides to take off for Mexico, about 150 miles south. His best friend, Lacey (Henry Thomas of "E.T." fame) goes with him. They cross the Rio Grande, and down the road meet up with a youngster, Blevins (Lucas Black) on a fine horse, and with a fine gun that he can use very nicely (Wallet now has a hole in it!). They suspect he is a runaway who might even have stolen the horse, but let him tag along. After a rainstorm, Blevins who is afraid of lightning, loses his clothes, his gun, and his horse. Approaching the next town, he sees his horse and gun and steals them back at night. Blevins goes his separate way.
John and Lacey encounter a herd of cattle and join the cowboys, get accepted as hands, "break" 16 horses in 4 days, inpress the owner, who asks them if they rode all the way from Texas by themselves. John notices owner's daughter, Alejandra (Penelope Cruz), she notices him, they develop a secret love affair. Owner finds out, doesn't approve, knows about Blevins, calls police on John and Lacey, who end up in jail with Blevins who had been there since they split up some weeks earlier. On the way to the penitentiary, Blevins is taken out and shot.
In prison, both John and Lacey, in separate incidents, get stabbed, John killing his attacker in the mess hall. Suddenly both of them are out, "bought" by Alejandra's father, in return she promises not to see John anymore. He gets her phone number, calls, meets at train station, they have a night together, John asks her to go to Texas where they will live happily ever after. Next morning she refuses, saying "I gave my promise, and if I don't honor that then I will have no honor."
John, in a daring move, retreives the 3 horses, gets shot in the leg, finds Lacey, and they head back to Texas. Over the border they are arrested without i.d., taken to the judge (Bruce Dern) who realizes John's story is real and orders them freed. At the end John's voice is heard, "There must be a God watching over us, otherwise how could we survive even a single day?"