The story of this film evokes thoughts of John Ford's "The Searchers" and while this is nowhere near as wonderful as that, it's still a pretty entertaining western thanks to the good cast and cinematography. Story is about Maggie Gilkeson (Cate Blanchett) who has a ranch and is also known for her doctoring skills. She has two daughters Lilly (Evan Rachel Wood) and Dot (Jenna Boyd) and Lilly who is a teenager dreams of a better life than working on a ranch. The foreman of the ranch is Brake (Aaron Eckhart) who supplies Maggie with sex occasionally but lives in the bunkhouse so no one will think otherwise. One day a drifter enters the area needing to see a doctor and it turns out the man is Maggie's father. Tommy Lee Jones plays Samuel Jones who deserted the family years ago and has been living with the Indians and has adopted they're customs.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Brake takes Lilly and Dot with him to take care of the cattle but they do not return so Maggie goes to see where they are. She discovers Brake dead and Lilly gone but Dot is found and she says that Indians have taken Lilly with them. Samuel tells her that they have taken her to Mexico where she will be sold into prostitution. Maggie tells him that she is going with him with Dot although time is crucial because he does not think that they will get her back if they cross into Mexico. The Indians that have taken Lilly are headed by a witch doctor named Chidin (Eric Schweig) who can cast spells and is very superstitious.
This is the first western that Ron Howard has directed and although there are serious flaws in the script he is still saved by a good cast and terrific cinematography. This is not exactly one of Howard's better films and its because of the contrivances in the script. The only reason to have the young daughter Dot come along on a dangerous trip is to provide more dramatic events like getting her foot stuck in between two rocks while a flood pours in. Val Kilmer has a small role as a calvary officer and they refuse to listen and do the sensible thing. The script takes the black magic seriously in the story and we are suppose to believe that Chidin can in fact cast spells! But its hard to not enjoy a western with two great actors like Blanchett and Jones. This film is enhanced by the wonderful faces of its stars and Jones who has a rough looking profile is perfect for this genre. Blanchett has classic features and the camera loves her and there are several shots in this film that has her poised with mountains or the plains in the background. These shots are breathtaking to look at. One thing I did notice about Blanchett was her hands. Her hands are always rough looking with dirty fingernails and you can see that she took her role seriously. Schweig is pretty good as the menacing Chidin and with his broad build and crooked teeth he does make us think that Jones is in for a tough time but you had to wonder why anyone would be found around him. He doesn't exactly come off as someone you would want to do business with. Not a great film or a classic western but with the two leads giving strong performances I do recommend it.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Brake takes Lilly and Dot with him to take care of the cattle but they do not return so Maggie goes to see where they are. She discovers Brake dead and Lilly gone but Dot is found and she says that Indians have taken Lilly with them. Samuel tells her that they have taken her to Mexico where she will be sold into prostitution. Maggie tells him that she is going with him with Dot although time is crucial because he does not think that they will get her back if they cross into Mexico. The Indians that have taken Lilly are headed by a witch doctor named Chidin (Eric Schweig) who can cast spells and is very superstitious.
This is the first western that Ron Howard has directed and although there are serious flaws in the script he is still saved by a good cast and terrific cinematography. This is not exactly one of Howard's better films and its because of the contrivances in the script. The only reason to have the young daughter Dot come along on a dangerous trip is to provide more dramatic events like getting her foot stuck in between two rocks while a flood pours in. Val Kilmer has a small role as a calvary officer and they refuse to listen and do the sensible thing. The script takes the black magic seriously in the story and we are suppose to believe that Chidin can in fact cast spells! But its hard to not enjoy a western with two great actors like Blanchett and Jones. This film is enhanced by the wonderful faces of its stars and Jones who has a rough looking profile is perfect for this genre. Blanchett has classic features and the camera loves her and there are several shots in this film that has her poised with mountains or the plains in the background. These shots are breathtaking to look at. One thing I did notice about Blanchett was her hands. Her hands are always rough looking with dirty fingernails and you can see that she took her role seriously. Schweig is pretty good as the menacing Chidin and with his broad build and crooked teeth he does make us think that Jones is in for a tough time but you had to wonder why anyone would be found around him. He doesn't exactly come off as someone you would want to do business with. Not a great film or a classic western but with the two leads giving strong performances I do recommend it.