Far and Away is chronicles the adventure an Irish man and woman have when they arrive in America with nothing but a drive to possess land of their own. Sure there are historical goofs and I’ve heard the accents are inaccurate, but it is what it is: entertainment.
Tom Cruise is solid as Joseph Donnelly. He effectively moves his character from poor, revenge driven boy to servant to pent up prize boxer to lost railroad worker and back to the young man who wants only land of his own. Each phase in Joseph’s growth is believable and sympathetic. The boxing scenes are brutal though, so if you squirm when people lose teeth, look away. His final phase, that of a young man searching for a place to call his own, resonated with me. Being in a phase in which I want land of my own makes me understand Joseph more completely.
Oh Nicole… In recent years she has dyed her hair a blond color that makes her look washed out, but in Far and Away Nicole looks natural and beautiful. She’s spunky as Shannon, a rich snob who yearns for a far less stuffy life. She gets it too, when her money (in the form of silver spoons) is stolen from her the moment she sets foot in America. Watching her shriek in terror and run toward the house, not because a man with gun is in her barn, but because she has just impaled him with a pitchfork is worth a good laugh or two.
Thomas Gibson is sufficiently slimy as the film’s main antagonist, Stephen Chase. He is fairly one dimensional though. I wondered why he loved Shannon because she doesn’t love him. It would have been more interesting had the filmmakers fleshed out Stephen’s motivations a bit more.
Finally, the land race. What a thrilling event. Can you imagine getting free land as long as you can drive your stake into it without being shot, run over by a horse, or losing all your belongings when your wagon topples? The cinematography during this portion of the film is fascinating to watch. It amazes me that there were so many extras, horses, and wagons being filmed simultaneously for this scene. What I would do to have seen that being filmed.
Sometime when you’re wishing for an adventure, freedom, or even just two hours of staring at two good looking people with good chemistry, go Far and Away.
Gread read. nice work