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, Penélope Cruz, Henry Thomas

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Damon	...	John Grady Cole
Henry Thomas	...	Lacey Rawlins
Penélope Cruz	...	Alejandra Villarreal
Angelina Torres	...	Luisa (as Angelina C. Torres)
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 y Villarreal
Elizabeth Ibarra	...	Maria
Miriam Colon	...	Doña Alfonsa (as Miriam Colón)

Storyline

Two young Texas cowboys on the cusp of manhood ride into 1940's Mexico in search of experience. What they find is a country as chaotic as it is beautiful, as cruel and unfeeling as it is mysterious, where death is a constant, capricious companion.

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Plot Keywords:

ranch hand | cattle drive | horse ranch | wrongful arrest | false accusation | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

At one time, director Mike Nichols was attached to the project.

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Goofs

At the end, when John Grady Cole is riding into Lacey's ranch, we first see him galloping across the field, with the two horses running free on either side of him. After the camera breaks and comes back to John talking to Lacey, both horses have bridles on and John is holding onto them.

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Quotes

[first lines]
John Grady Cole: You ever think about dyin'?
Lacey: Yeah. You?
John Grady Cole: Yeah.
Lacey: So, you think there's a heaven?
John Grady Cole: Yeah. Don't you?
Lacey: I don't know. Yeah, maybe. You think you can believe there's a heaven if you don't believe in hell?
John Grady Cole: I guess you can believe what you want to.

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Crazy Credits

The Columbia Pictures logo is the 1940s version, which fits with the time period of the film.

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Alternate Versions

The first cut by director Billy Bob Thornton was ca. 4 hours long. It was later cut down to the 116 min. version released to theatres.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Movies Ruined by Studio Interference (2016)

User Reviews

Passionate drama of life and death.

Director Billy Bob Thornton fills the screen with awesome scenery and a hard hitting drama about two young cowboys from San Angelo, Texas meeting up with another young horseman and coming face to face with life altering situations in and out of a Mexican prison. Friendship stays strong to the bitter end. And love proves to be stronger than life itself. Matt Damon, Henry Thomas and Lucas Black are the hard luck cowpokes. Damon falls in love with Penelope Cruz and provides some steamy love scenes. There is more drama than action in this western, but you should find it very entertaining. Damon and Black are the most impressive characters in this well-made movie.

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

25 December 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

All the Pretty Horses

Filming Locations:

Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$57,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,304,971, 25 December 2000

Gross USA:

$15,540,353

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$18,133,495

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Miramax

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min 220 min (original cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1