Admirable film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Blistering performances.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

I do not know if it could be considered a good film. maybe, a correct one. because it has many virtues who define a beautiful storytelling, smart trip across delicate themes, the meet with real admirable actors - Miriam Colon is an example, the great performance of Lucas Black. a western who preserves a special air. not always credible, not always coherent, but giving that beauty who determine you see it again. for a specific scene, for a specific actress/actor or , maybe, for the flavor of a state of soul. so, a film full with virtues. this is all !

I sometimes check 'contains spoilers' to protect my standing at IMDb but I will try to not give away too much of the plot of All The Pretty Horses.I will admit two things right off... First, I tend to review movies I don't like, more than those I do. And second, I tend to dislike modern 'Western' type movies more than I like them. When I watched "All The Pretty Horses" though, I knew that it was a movie that I would have to post a review about here on IMDb - a positive review, and I was anxious to do so.This is a "Western" in that it takes place with characters who ride horses and wear cowboy hats, and in many ways it could be set in its own era (1949) or a hundred years earlier. It is however not a formula Western (nothing wrong with those BTW, I love 'em) as much as it is a human story that takes place in that setting.ATPH strikes some chords that always appeal to me. For one thing the characters are realistic and likable; you care about them. You get to know them and what happens to them matters enough that to a degree it also happens to you, like seeing someone belt your best buddy. It hurts you too. Well, that's how these characters are to me. You can't just sit by and watch what happens to them without feeling it. Additionally, it takes a simple story and makes it much more interesting by introducing an additional element - in this case, a brilliant element in the person of Jimmy Blevins, a free soul who claims to be sixteen years old. (Lucas Black who played the role was about seventeen at the time, so the role is credible. How many 25 year old teenagers have you seen in movies? I've seen plenty.)Disenchanted with their lives in Texas, sixteen-year-old John Grady Cole and his lifelong buddy Lacey Rawlins set out on horseback for Mexico, hoping to find work on a ranch just like in the 'old days'. En route they encounter the eccentric young Jimmy Blevins, and while outwardly they regard him with disdain, beneath the surface they do actually come to like him. But Blevins is a loose cannon who brings about the plot twists that drive the story. In the next couple of months the trio will face dangers and hardship and other problems in Mexico which they had never anticipated. There will be a brief love affair for one of them; there will be a hellish and dangerous time spent in prison; and while three young men cross the Rio Grande into Mexico, only two will survive to return. This is not a story of violence and killing though there is some of that in it. This is a human story about several people, most of all John Grady Cole. All the cast played their roles quite well. I think that Lucas Black, who played the 'loose cannon' Jimmy Blevins, had a couple of small advantages - the most eccentric role to play, and his own natural accent which made it possible for him to deliver all his lines in a totally believable way even when he is saying something barely above a mumble. Also, the veteran Western character actor Bruce Dern makes an appearance as a wise old judge and it may be one of the best roles he ever played. If I can say anything negative about this movie it is only that being a movie, it was not possible to include as much of the plot as the original book contains. If you enjoy the movie, you will like the book even more. I understand that there was a 'director's cut' which was substantially longer than the released version and I know I would enjoy seeing it, if it became available.I didn't see 'All The Pretty Horses' until it was a dozen years old, and that's too bad because I could have been enjoying it for a lot longer. It's an excellent story and a well-made movie which I recommend highly.

The book is great and Billy Bob was a good fit for it, but producer Harvey Weinstein screwed it all up. He wanted a two hour cut, even though from the offset it was clear the story needed a three hour epic sweep.So you really shouldn't watch this obviously truncated version (35% was cut). Scenes are rushed and a film that was supposed to capture the feel and romance of the landscape falls flat. Apparently Billy Bob has the correct edit on VHS in his home. Matt Damon says this cut is the best film he's ever been involved in. Eventually this film will be released, so you all should just wait for it. Billy Bob talks humorously about all this on cinemablend.The Weinsteins of this world are by no means villains, it takes a lot of hard work and guts to get where they have. But the same brute force that makes them successful can prove fatal where artistry is involved. Producers can be right - sometimes directors do need reigning in. Just not in this case. Harvey wasn't dealing with a wayward, self-indulgent director, and the story really did demand more time in its telling.

All the Pretty Horses had its entertaining moments with believable characters, but it failed to capture the book's nostalgic luster. For the most part, All the Pretty Horses followed the generally accepted rule that books are usually better than the movies that are made after them. While it at least followed the same general plot of the book, it also shortened nearly every major episode, which down played the depth and general tone of nearly every scene. Pivotal moments were built up to a crescendo in the book, whereas the movie tried to speed through John Grady's story in an limited amount of time. Sitting at just about 2 hours long, the movie could have(and should have) been made longer to give each epic moment some gravity. In my opinion Billy Bob Thorton may have gotten a better response if he had not punctuated the most dramatic, raw, and realistic moments that the story had to offer in order to keep the movie at a popular time length. However, it had a good western feel in relation to the scenery and landscape. The acting is good enough and does a decent job at character development. To someone who enjoys this genre and has not read the book, there is a good chance it will be enjoyed. This movie may not be entertaining to those who expect a realistic and rugged style of a western, such as McCarthy's No Country for Old Men. For others, the natural beauty and John Grady's character development makes All the Pretty Horses a memorable watch. Reading the book could make all the difference.I have enjoyed a lot more westerns than this one, a lot more, but I would also probably keep watching it if I came across it on T.V. Go ahead and give it a watch. 5.75/10