Disapointment

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Terribly underrated movie. Not only that it did not win any awards, but it's nominated for the worst in some categories. People use its historical inaccuracy and too many clichés as arguments against it. So what?! This is not textbook for history but romantic drama/adventure and clichés are part of its genre. Put aside prejudice and too much analyzing and enjoy beautifully told love story with good scenography and awesome landscapes. This movie is exactly what it was supposed to be. Tom Cruise before he became annoying and Nicole in all beauty of her youth have chemistry that won't leave you indifferent. <3

As in they "ran'd away" from Ireland to America and it's a love story and stuff. Tom Cruise takes his shirt off Nicole Kidman does not. I choose not to comment on that, because I have grown and matured, clearly. Tom Cruise fights people in this movie to show that he is strong, STRONG, like the dragon Smaug in his mountain. Yes, there are horses in this movie, and people ride the horses, y'know, because we've domesticated horses, this is a recent thing I hear. Holy sh*t, am I still talking about f*cking Far And Away? What else is there to say? The camera was in focus the whole time? Everybody tried really hard to do a good job? Its a good movie to watch if you are trying to get over a cold?

Directed by Ron Howard (Splash, Apollo 13, Ransom, A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code), I knew this film had mixed or negative reviews, it was rated two out of five stars, but I was willing to give it a chance. Basically set in 1893 Ireland, following the death of his father, young Irish man Joseph Donnelly (Tom Cruise) is facing property eviction, and he wants to get revenge on his landlord Daniel Christie (Mrs. Doubtfire's Robert Prosky). However in his attempt to kill Christie, Joseph is injured and sentenced to a duel against Christie's arrogant manager Stephen Chase (Thomas Gibson), meanwhile Christie's daughter Shannon (Nicole Kidman) is growing dissatisfied with her parents' generation of traditional views and longs to be modern. Shannon makes her plans to leave for the United States of America, and Joseph escapes with her, they arrive together in Boston, find jobs and begin saving money. Joseph makes money becoming a local bare-knuckle fighter, while Shannon works in a chicken processing plant and as a social club dancer, all is well until all their money is taken away after Joseph loses a boxing match. Joseph and Shannon are left starving in the cold of winter, Shannon's parents meanwhile leave Ireland to join her, they are facing a devastating loss, Chase joins them, he was leading a search to find Shannon, but Joseph brings her to them following an accident. To make money Joseph works on a railroad after heading west, but in a dream sequence he sees his father reminding and confronting him of his desire to own land, so he joins the wagon trains and arrives in Oklahoma Territory. Joseph is just in time for the Land Run of 1893, aka the Cherokee Strip Land Run, a chance for more than 10,000 to claim land, his fate lie in his participation, Shannon is also joining the ride and willing to help Joseph plant the flag that will ultimately claim the land he finds. Also starring Barbara Babcock as Nora Christie, Cyril Cusack as Danty Duff, Colm Meaney as Kelly, Bread's Eileen Pollock as Molly Kay, Michelle Johnson as Grace, Wayne Grace as Bourke, Douglas Gillison as Dermody, Niall Toibin as Joe, Barry McGovern as McGuire, Gary Lee Davis as Gordon, Jared Harris as Paddy, So What Now's Steven O'Donnell as Colm, Clint Howard, Ron's brother as Flynn, Brendan Gleeson as Social Club Policeman, Rance Howard, Ron's father as Tomlin and Father Ted's Pauline McLynn as Prostitute. Cruise and Kidman do their best to put on Irish accents, but only make it sound cartoonish, at least their performances are reasonable, and being married at the time their relationship is convincing, the love story between them is fine, but the memorable moments are the fights, the horse and cart rides, and of course the big sweeping riding across the Irish plains, the ending where Cruise looks dead for a moment and waking again is ridiculous, but once the credits role the great song "Book of Days" by Irish singer Enya rescues it, it is a slightly naff and stereotypical film, but as a whole it's not a bad romantic period adventure drama. Okay!

A lot of people are comparing this film to Titanic, I'd rather compare it to Gone with the Wind and Downton Abbey. This film supposedly took place one century before it was filmed. Yet the topics and things that it grapples with are still with us to this day. Immigrants came from all over the world to start a new life in America, which was still largely unexplored frontier territory; only to be sucked into the same situations, caste system and society order that they had just left. Much less the clash of too many people and cultures in too close of quarters. Case in Point: Joseph and Shannon from Ireland. I wasn't sure what to expect from this film. Many had commented that they didn't care for it. I found the actors and actresses to be very believable in their parts and accents. I must agree that this is one of Tom Cruise's best roles. I was very moved by the various positions the leading man and lady were placed in. I felt every blow that Joseph received, I wanted to slap Shannon for her sharp tongue. I wanted to cry at scenes, I laughed at many. I found the music to speak volumes and was pleasantly surprised that John Williams was the composer. There were a few Schindler's List notes, but not enough to subtract or distract in the least from the film. The sweeping shots of both Ireland and Oklahoma with their openness contrasted by the closed closeness of the city made you feel closed in and dead-ended. You can even nearly smell the rank stench of men, the filth of the streets and the sweat of the oppressed. Very seldom do I find a movie that actually 'speaks' to each of my senses as this film does. Go ahead, pop it in and step back in time. Perhaps, you would also care to bring some modern tissues with you...