exit pursued by a bear

Rating: 6/10 (24 April 2005)

This is the story, told by voice-over by an old, wise Native American, of a family of three sons whose lives really suck. Anthony Hopkins is the old army captain who brought his family into the frontier to protect them from the corruption of the outside world. So his sons, Alfred (Aiden Quinn) the serious one, Tristan (Brad Pitt) the virile one, and Samuel (Henry Thomas) the nice one, grow up in a wild and beautiful country full of critters and lacking in womenfolk. So when Samuel's fiancée Susanna (Ormond) shows up, she causes quite a stir, and this is the beginning of the story. War, peace, marriage, big game hunting, nude scenes, death and bears ensue -- though not necessarily in that order.
The story spans a period from roughly 1914 to the mid 20s, so it's a long movie. As a mini-family saga we get to know the characters very well, but as a series of unfortunate events I found myself getting a little bored at times. None of the actors (at least of the ones I'm familiar with) gave the best performance of their careers, but there's really nothing to complain about. A young Brad Pitt, looking like he stepped off the cover of a Harlequin novel provides plenty of eye candy, as does Julia Ormond and the beautiful, beautiful Montana scenery. It is well-filmed, with great sets and costumes, and the score is unremarkable, but not bad. It is very gory, and contains nudity (mostly Brad Pitt -- not that I'm complaining) and a bit of cussin'.
It's less substantial that it thinks it is, and it's essential to keep this in mind when watching it. But it is fun, pretty and very diverting.