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Popular with the Academy but unjustly snubbed by the cinema going public, Ang Lee's thoughtful Western
is due for discovery. Certainly a departure for the Tawainese director, whose reputation is founded on
conversational relationship flicks (often with food), it is an expansive rites of passage saga, that
contains due Lee-type character interaction, but also a lot of mighty fine gunplay.
Tobey Maguire (the most pleasantly unassuming of the new breed) is the "coming-of-age" in question, as
he joins up with the guerrilla gangs of the South (known as the Bushwhackers) with his best pal, Skeet
Ulrich.
Over a series of historically accurate conflicts, he'll do all the epic growing up stuff that only
happens in the movies: death, loss, betrayal, love (with the excellent Jewel), and a life-defining
friendship with former slave Wright.
Elegant, stirring, a tad long-winded at times, but - flop status aside - maintains Ang Lee as one of
the most consistently nourishing directors out there.
(Four Stars)
The menu: Just assembled images from the movie and annoyingly frustrating to operate.
(One Star)
DVD extras: A fairly mediocre "making of" featurette that divulges how physical a shoot it was,
how Jewel spent her time completely terrified, and what a nice man Ang Lee is. No great shakes.
(Three Stars)
IAN NATHAN Issue 134 August 2000
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