All the Pretty Horses (2000)

Two Texas cowboys head to Mexico in search of work, but soon find themselves in trouble with the law after one of them falls in love with a wealthy rancher's daughter

Director:

Billy Bob Thornton

Writers:

Cormac McCarthy (novel), Ted Tally (screenplay)

Stars:

Matt Damon, Henry Thomas, Penélope Cruz

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Damon	...	John Grady Cole
Henry Thomas	...	Lacey Rawlins
Penélope Cruz	...	Alejandra
J.D. Young	...	Grandfather
Laura Poe	...	Mother
Sam Shepard	...	J.C. Franklin
Robert Patrick	...	Cole
Lucas Black	...	Jimmy Blevins
Yvette Diaz	...	Girl
Imelda Colindres	...	Girl's Mom
Augustin Solis	...	Manuel (as Agustin Solis)
Rubén Blades	...	Don Hector de la Rocha
Elizabeth Ibarra	...	Maria
Miriam Colon	...	Doña Alfonsa (as Miriam Colón)
Lonnie Rodriguez	...	Esteban

Storyline

A young Texan drifter named John Grady Cole who seeks a better life in Mexico, but when he crosses the border, all he finds is adventure and hardships.

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Plot Keywords:

mexico | cowboy | texas | 1940s | stabbed with knife | 

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Taglines:

Some passions can never be tamed.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

25 December 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

De si jolis chevaux

Filming Locations:

Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$57,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£41,644 (UK) (25 May 2001)

Gross:

ESP 108,589,809 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Miramax Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Amongst those able to view Billy Bob Thornton's original cut, which ran for 3 hours 40 minutes, opinions were divided. Ben Affleck remarked that it was "brilliant, a masterpiece". Former Miramax marketing head Dennis Rice had this to say: "It was the most self-indulgent director's cut I'd ever seen. It was like torture to watch that movie."

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Goofs

The Beech 18 airplane that Don Hector flies from his ranch to Mexico City every week has a US registration number beginning with "N." Aircraft registered in Mexico have registration numbers beginning with "XA," "XB" or "XC." The filmmaker seems to have been aware of this, since most shots of the airplane have the "N" on the fuselage partially blocked by a car or person.

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Quotes

John Grady Cole: What the hell are you doing?
Jimmy: Just sittin' here.
John Grady Cole: If this rain hits hard, there's gonna be a river come down through here like a train. You thought about that?
Jimmy: You ain't never been struck by lightning. You don't know what it's like.
John Grady Cole: You're gonna get drowned sittin' there.
Jimmy: Why that's all right, I ain't never been drowned before.
John Grady Cole: Well...I say no more.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, the Columbia Pictures emblem is not the 2000 one. Instead, it is the circa 1949 version with the woman holding the torch. This is what would have been used at the time the story is set.

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Connections

Referenced in E! True Hollywood Story: Winona Ryder (2002)

User Reviews

Newcomers trying for old-style Hollywood feel, and failing

From Cormac McCarthy's novel about young man in 1949 Texas leaving the family ranch for a life in Mexico, and winding up in hot water. Despite mystical undermining (which, presumably, is what director/co-producer Billy Bob Thornton brought to the table), film has a distracting 'formula' feel: two-parts western, one-part forbidden romance, and one-part prison picture. None of it gels, simply because the screenwriter (Ted Tally, of all people) and Thornton are trying for the kind of heavy, romantic movie-western style popular 40 years ago, and yet they do not possess the subtle qualities to make this genre successful for them. Matt Damon frequently flashes his shy/self-conscious movie-star smile, but he's so clean and bland and laid-back, he's practically non-existent on the screen. Penelope Cruz, as his forbidden flame, is better, but the other performers are less charismatic, and the story has no center--it just rambles around. *1/2 from ****