All The Pretty Horses
Genre: Drama/Western
Director: Terrence Malick
Writer: Rachel Hallet Hardcastle
Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy
Cast: Nicholas Hamilton, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Ryan Lee, Isabela Moner, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Andy Garcia, Eugenio Derbez, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Olga Kurylenko, Michael Fassbender (cameo)
Plot: John Grady Cole (Nicholas Hamilton) enters the ranch he has shared with his grandfather after returning from that grandfather's funeral. For many years, the Grady family had ranched the land. After the funeral, Cole meets and tells his father (Michael Fassbender) that his mother has gone to San Antonio. They share coffee, a meal, and arrange to meet later in the week to go riding. Before leaving, Cole's father gives his son a Hamley Formfitter saddle as an early Christmas present. Cole's mother (Olga Kurylenko) returns about a week later, and Cole approaches her to discuss the family ranch's disposition. He understands that she has no liking for the ranch life and offers to lease it from her. She says there is no money, and the ranch is not self-supporting. She further says that he being sixteen years old, cannot run a ranch. A trip to the family lawyer provides the information that Cole has no right to the property as it left to his mother. Also, his father's rights had given up when Cole's parents' divorce became final shortly before the grandfather's funeral. Shortly after Christmas, Cole finds his mother acting in a small playhouse and visiting another man in his hotel. It is in early March that he sees and rides with his father for the last time. They mention the boy's mother and Cole's latest female interest. They end their conversation and meeting discussing the state of the country.
Cole and his friend Lacey Rawlins (Isaac Hempstead Wright) are relaxing one evening. Cole mentions the recent sale of the ranch, and the new owners will take over in June. Cole declares his intention to leave. There is some small discussion of God and destiny. During a short trip to San Angelo to have some horse tack fixed, Cole brings to closure his relationship with a local girl. Before sunup on a morning shortly after his stop in San Angelo, Cole and Rawlins head out on horseback. They leave neither word for their family or their friends. It is many miles, and a day later, the two young men discuss the little care for the life they have left behind. Along the route they have chosen, Cole and Rawlins see further industrialization evidence, as they must share the road with motorized conveyances. As they near the border between Texas and Mexico, Cole realizes they are being followed. Lying in wait, Cole and Rawlins confront Jimmy Blevins (Ryan Lee). The two young men recognize the excellent quality horse that Jimmy Blevins is riding and ask him where he got it. Blevins replies in a manner that Cole believes implies he is lying about who he is, his age, and where Jimmy Blevins got his horse. Cole and a less enthusiastic Lacey Rawlins agree to let Jimmy Blevins join them on their travels. The three together cross the river into Mexico.
Once across the border, the three young men caught in a thunderstorm. Blevins is deathly afraid of lightning and storms and takes off on his horse into the storm. Cole and Rawlins seek cover in a nearby copse of tree and stone. Blevins' ultimately loses his clothes, weapon, and his horse. They eventually locate the weapon and horse. Cole and Rawlins become conspirators in stealing the fantastic horse from Mexican peasants. The noteworthy horse missed, and the three are sighted fleeing from the village. Separated and running from the armed peasants, Cole and Rawlins continue heading south. Blevins' fate after the encounter is not yet revealed.
Traveling south, Cole and Rawlins cross the path of vaqueros. The two young gentlemen seek work and directed to the Hacienda de Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion. Before heading to the hacienda to apply for work, Cole glimpses a beautiful black-haired girl (Isabela Moner) riding along the road. The caporal escorted the two young men to the gerente and spoke on their behalf.
Don Hector Rocha y Villareal (Julio Cesar Cedillo) now employed Cole and Rawlins. Working the ranch, Cole discovers the identity of the beautiful black-haired girl. Alejandra, the daughter of their employer. Finding his niche on the ranch, Cole's demonstrated an ability to break wild horses gently. With Rawlins's assistance, Cole establishes himself in the eyes of the Don in this area. Both young men were given a certain amount of respect from the other vaqueros on the ranch that observe and acknowledge their skill. Cole's ability demonstrates his respect for the animals with which he is working.
On a trip into the mountains to acquire more wild mares, Cole can converse with the older vaqueros. They discuss the history of Mexico and the role the horses played. There is tremendous respect the vaquero shows the horse, more so than many men will earn from these workers. The Don himself recognizes Cole's success on his trip into the mountains. Upon Cole's return, the young cowboy is asked by the Don to assume an essential role in the training and breeding of the hacienda's horse stock. Cole accepts after speaking with his friend Lacey Rawlins about the opportunity. Cole wants to ensure there is no animosity between him and his friend due to Don's offer.
Rawlins becomes aware of Cole's interest in their employer's daughter. Rawlins warns Cole that Alejandra is out of their league. Cole admits that she may be used to beautiful things, but it did not matter to him. At a dance in La Vega, the beautiful Alejandra accepts a dance with Cole. Each recognizes their interest in one another. While out riding Don's prize stallion, Cole is approached by Alejandra and ordered to release the stallion to her. She says she will return it to the hacienda and he should walk her horse. Cole's arrival on a different horse does not go unnoticed at the hacienda.
Lacey Rawlins questions Cole on the relationship and the possibility of it endangering their position on the ranch. Again, Cole ignores the warnings about the growing relationship with the beautiful daughter of the Don. Cole and Alejandra became lovers. Don Hector Rocha y Villareal is unaware of the relationship. On a morning before sunup, Cole and Rawlins are taken into custody. The two men removed from the hacienda in manacles. They are unaware of the circumstances surrounding their arrests, but Rawlins believes the arrest has to do with Cole and Alejandra's relationship. Cole is less precise and questions the armed men. He is said nothing except to mount and ride. The armed men and their prisoners head out.
Arriving in Encantada, Cole and Rawlins reunite with Jimmy Blevins. Blevins has been arrested for charged with murder. The Captain (Andy Garcia) has used force to compel Blevins to admit to his arrest charges and seeks to do the same with Lacey Rawlins. Rawlins was beaten while Cole discovers from young Jimmy Blevins, Blevins identified Cole and Rawlins as co-conspirators in the theft.
The three men are manacled and placed into the back of a pick-up truck, going en-route to Saltillo's Mexican prison. After many hours, they pulled off into a deserted area. The captain and another take Jimmy Blevins into the tree line, and a couple of shots heard. The two older men return without Blevins. Cole and Rawlins know that young Jimmy Blevins has been killed.
Arriving at the prison, the captain explains about arrangements. In Mexico, everyone is making arrangements. In the case of Blevins, it was the father of the murdered man that paid the captain to kill the boy. For Cole and Rawlins, the captain explained that Americans did not stay in the prison as arrangements were always to be made. Once inside, Cole and Rawlins discover that their names are not on the list of prisoners. For several days they must fight to stay alive. After a week, a political exile and prisoner named Perez (Eugenio Derbez) calls them to a meeting. Perez explains the arrangements that must be made by Americans at the prison. The freedom gained by payment to Perez for release. It was expected and accepted by Perez that all Americans expected to have a wealthy family or friend. Having no family and certainly no money to his name, Cole explains that he and Rawlins would just have to stay awhile.
A knife-wielding prisoner severely injures Rawlins with more fights coming, and Cole must seek medical attention for him. Cole uses what little money he has to secure a weapon of his own. The prisoner later attacks Cole with a knife. Cole is also severely injured but kills the man in the process. After being patched back together, Cole and Rawlins discover that someone has paid for their release.
Leaving the prison, the two men acquire food and clothing. Without a horse and even less to his name than at the start of this fateful journey, Lacey Rawlins declares his intention to return home to San Angelo, Texas. Cole is committed to Alejandra's feelings and insistent that she will feel the same way and come with him. The two friends part ways. Lacey Rawlins returns to Texas, and Cole heads south again to the Hacienda de Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion.
Arriving at the hacienda, Cole can reclaim his belongings. Alejandra is not at the hacienda. The Duena Alfonsa (Natalia Cordova-Buckley) discloses the terms of an agreement that Alejandra made with her. The two young men would be released from prison. The young woman's aunt would pay the Americans' ransom because Alejandra would agree not to see Cole again. She explained her family's situation when she was a young girl and the one that Alejandra finds herself in now. The Duena Alfonsa admits her knowledge of the affair between Cole and Alejandra. She claims that Alejandra will honor her pact with her aunt and not continue her association with Cole.
Cole collects his belongings and acquires the horse that the aunt has given him. Cole makes arrangements to meet the young girl. Alejandra meets Cole and hears the complete tale of how he came to Mexico up to his release from the prison. Alejandra is in tears, but as she explains to Cole, she cannot turn her back on her family. Alejandra has told her father that she was Cole's lover, and she is ashamed. Having seen the lawlessness that can exist in Mexico, Cole understands that he came close to dying at Alejandra's father's hands. She spends the night with him and then boards a train to return to her father's hacienda.
Alejandra's rejection is a painful lesson for Cole. He gets drunk and passes out from a bar fight. Upon waking, he collects his things and his horse and heads north. While traveling and without a particular destination in mind, Cole passes a sign declaring the direction to Encantada. Feeling he has nothing further to lose; he has lost his love and forced to kill a man, Cole determines that he will not lose his horse, Redbo, too. He throws caution to the wind when recovering the lost horses. In Encantada's town, the place of recent memory where Cole, Rawlins, and Blevins temporarily imprisoned, Cole will take the captain hostage. Entering Encantada, Cole is circumspect as he breaks into the building where the captain will come to work later in the morning. Cole lies in wait and takes the captain hostage as the man enters the building. Forcing the captain to tell him his equine companions' location, the former prisoner sets out with his hostage to reacquire the lost horses. Cole survives a gunfight to reclaim his horse as well as Junior, Lacey Rawlins' horse, and the fantastic horse of Jimmy Blevins.
Cole continues his ride north with the three horses and his hostage in tow. While outrunning the armed men following him, he is shot in the leg and decides to release the horse given to him by Alejandra's aunt. He cauterizes the wound in his leg using a hot pistol barrel. One evening, after the armed men had given up the chase, bandits surround his campsite and take the captain away in manacles. It is unclear what the captain's fate might have been, but Cole presumes later that the captain is dead.
Cole spends many weeks traveling through the American Southwest, attempting to find either a relative of Jimmy Blevins or Jimmy Blevins' horse's rightful owner. While doing so, he was brought up on charges by three men who attempted to claim Blevins' horse. He explains his story from leaving Texas until this current situation to the judge. The judge is amazed at the tale he has heard and asks to see the wound on Cole's leg. Finding it proof enough of his story, the judge drops the charges and releases the horse to the young Cole.
In San Angelo, Texas, Lacey Rawlins is amazed not only that Cole is alive, but that he returned his friend's horse, Junior, as well. Rawlins tells Cole of Cole's father's death.. When asked where he will go, Cole explains that he has no country and leaves.
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