Review of All the Pretty Horses (2000) by Charles H — 07 May 2007

McCarthy wrote such a powerhouse novel that any film version was bound to underwhelm by comparison. That's not to suggest the film is bad by any means, only that it doesn't reach the epic heights of its source material.

A few positives worth noting: 1) Henry Thomas is very good and steals the movie, playing the role of Cole's friend, Rawlins; 2) the Mexican jail sequences are probably the most faithfully rendered of any that appear in the book; 3) the cinematography captures the spectacular beauty of the American west.

I have several complaints as well, mainly having to do with excised or truncated scenes (though I realize such decisions must always be made), but I'm also not sure that Damon and Black were appropriately cast in their roles.

All-in-all it's a decent western that could have been done better, though I understand Billy Bob feuded with the studio to make a much different, longer film. What a shame.