Into the West-DVD

Into the West (1992), Dir. Mike Newell

I'll go ahead and say upfront that I am a sucker for horse movies. This one was actually pretty good. While it is a children's story, it doesn't bother to pander with some lame story line and a moral at the end. It's just a story with some kids and a horse.

What I really enjoyed about this picture was how laden it was with myth. There is the romantic myth of the cowboys that the boys learn about through old Westerns, along with the romantic myths of Ireland that the boys learn about from their grandfather. And they live both of them as earnestly as young boys can. These fabled stories are put right alongside the more immediate truth of settlers vs. travellers, and the knowledge that these travellers, who like to think they are cowboys, are not well liked by those who don't share their lifestyle. The story works hard to steep itself in the fantastical world of make-believe, rather than get bogged down in the world of rationale and logic. In this way, Newell is almost like the boys themselves. He is going on a journey of fantasy that has little to do with everyone else.

In short, I enjoyed this one. While there are a few technical snags in it that are a bit troubling, there's really not anything major to gripe about. Plus, Gabriel Byrne is awesome. As always.