Hey folks, Harry here with a report from Nanki-Poo on ALL THE PRETTY HORSES. Man, it feels as though this has been forever in coming to a theater near you and I... but it had trouble when it was at Sony, but now at Miramax... everything seems to be rather smooth for the production and the resulting film. This should be a rather good sweeping epic, a new genre for us to see coming from Billy Bob Thornton... But dagnamit, I'm ready to see this sucker... Only about a month to wait.... Here ya go...
Hey there Harry, Nanki-Poo here,
I recently attended a screening of the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's widely acclaimed first novel ALL THE PRETTY HORSES. Now Miramax is obviously gearing this oft-delayed film as their "for your consideration" offering of 2000--with a scheduled Christmas release. Indeed this film wears its Oscar credentials on its sleeve: Oscar winner Billy "Bob" Thronton directs Oscar winner/nominee Matt Damon in a film written by Oscar winner Ted Tally, produced by Oscar winner Mike Nichols.
The story takes place in the late 1940s and involves Matt Damon, as John Grady Cole, a young rancher who travels to Mexico with his friend Lacey Rawlings (played by Henry Thomas) after his Texas ranch is sold off. John's passion in life is horses: training and breeding them. Once he finds himself on a large Mexican ranch (really his personal El Dorado) owned by "Rocha" played by Ruben Blades, he finds the 2nd passion of his life--Alejandra, Rocha's raven haired beauty of a daughter. It doesn't take x-ray vision to see that a hired hand from America courting the owner's daughter is a recipe for trouble, and the Mexican legal system is played up for all the ugliness it is so well-known for
First of all, the film is beautifully shot, and I can only assume the final print will be even better when finalized. The performances and script are uniformly strong, though the standouts are often the supporting character parts--which often resonant with more interest and originality. Lucas Black as the gangly but strong-willed Blevins--who John and Lacey happen upon on their trip through Mexico is quirky, funny and very well protrayed--we're talking Best Supporting nod here (and he actually looks 16)! Another character that caught my eye was Alejandra's aunt--in a few nicely written and acted scenes this actor--I forget her name creates a strong, mature Hispanic female.
Henry Thomas and Matt Damon share a good synergy as cowboy buddies (with believable Texas accents, too) and cameos provided by Sam Shepard, Robert Patrick and Bruce Dern are nicely played though fleeting.
The problem with the film is that, like the novel, the narrative is episodic and picaresque, and John Cole's arc -- his joys and sorrows really hinge on his love for Alejandra and the horses. Unfortunately this cut of the film short-shrifts us on the romance and the horse "whispering"--the emotional threads that tie the film together. The result is a film that is marred by a narrative jumpiness. I had heard of earlier, longer screenings of over two hours. The version we saw was a multiplex friendly 1 hour and 45 minutes. Not to put too fine a point on it, but if Thornton and Miramax can find a good 10 to 15 minutes to place back in, it could have a film that successfully marries all its good elements into a whole that could very well be the "for your consideration" film they are looking for.
Nanki-Poo minstreling off...
