I don't need to have read the source material to go and enjoy a film. I don't even need to know the author of the book, when it came out, what it was about. What I look for in a film is a strong story, an able cast, and sometimes a proven director.

Never having seen Sling Blade, I wasn't sure what to surmise of Billy Bob Thornton's abilities coming into All the Pretty Horses. What drew me in initially is Matt Damon, and what I was hoping would be Penelope Cruz's much-ballyhooed American debut.

Marketed as a tale of forbidden love and betrayal set upon the background of the 1940s Southwest, All the Pretty Horses was less about love than it was really about...well, horses. Cruz's screen time is laughable, she should have been listed in the credits after some of the animal participants in the film.

I have a feeling that Thornton's original 4-hour cut is what is to blame here. In the editing process--nearly two hours were trimmed from that version--much of the love story between our two main characters must have been lost, and what remains is slightly disjointed and honestly, a bit messy.

I felt a bit cheated as a moviegoer, and possibly much more so than I should, especially if I wasn't aware that a much longer version of the film existed--which isn't available on DVD even, perhaps a Special Edition is in order--which gives the film much more potential than in its present state.

Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12