Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz in "All the Pretty Horses."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Matt Damon Director: Billy Bob Thornton Rated: PG-13, with violence Length: 116 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(December 22, 2000) -- One of the great novels of recent vintage has inspired one of the most engrossing films of the year. All the Pretty Horses, the 1992 National Book Award-winner by Cormac McCarthy, is a powerful and poignant Western adventure, with Matt Damon as a young man who comes of age at the end of an age.

In his most subtle and complex performance to date, Damon plays John Grady Cole, a young Texas rancher of the 1940s who is drawn to Mexico in pursuit of free-spirited horses and fading cowboy ways.

He encounters an even greater passion -- the gorgeous daughter of a wealthy Mexican ranch owner -- but must also deal with the painful challenges of the illicit affair.

Director Billy Bob Thornton delivers on the high promise of Sling Blade, creating a film with the grace, beauty and power of a stallion on the run.