A WOMAN LIKE MONA CAN DRIVE MEN TO EXTREMES.

At the end of WWII, two cowboys (Woody Harrelson, Billy Crudup) out west compete for the same married woman (Patricia Arquette) and tangle with a powerful landowner. One of the greatest things about director Stephen Frears is his versatility; who could have guessed that he would suddenly make a western? Still, he finds the right dusty, horse-smelling atmosphere and it’s interesting to see how the new and old worlds met out west as the war came to a close. A great performance by Harrelson, but I find it hard to believe how Crudup’s character could prefer Arquette to Penélope Cruz in this case…

1998-U.S. 114 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Stephen Frears. Screenplay: Walon Green. Novel: Max Evans. Music: Carter Burwell. Cast: Woody Harrelson (Big Boy Matson), Billy Crudup (Pete Calder), Patricia Arquette (Mona Birk), Sam Elliott, Cole Hauser, Penélope Cruz.

Trivia: Sam Peckinpah tried for many years to make a movie out of the novel.

Berlin: Best Director.

IMDb