'The truth is what happened' says the Matt Damon character in this modern Western, 'It ain't what comes out of somebody's mouth.' And it's no wonder that the lawman at the end finds his story hard to believe. Texas, post-war: with the family ranch sold out from under him, John Grady Cole (Damon) and his best buddy Lacey (Henry Thomas) take their horses and head for Mexico and a new life as cow-punchers and bronc-busters. They find work on a big ranch and their future seems secure. But when Cole and the rancher's daughter (Penélope Cruz) fall heavily for each other, the seeds of tragedy are fed not only by their affair, but by Cole's past involvement in the repossession of a horse lost by the teenage drifter (Lucas Black) who tagged along on the original journey. Controversially cut down from 140 minutes, which hacks obvious bits out of the progression of the romance and the later prison scenes, the film still makes a strong appeal to the emotions, with characters coming to richly satisfying ends. Good performances too, notably from Thomas as the sidekick, Ruben Blades as the rancher and Bruce Dern as a judge whose wisdom proves crucial at the end.