Great movie to watch over and over again.

Rating: 10/10 (25 October 2002)

This is one of those rare epic sagas that you can watch over and over again. The soundtrack alone is enough to move you. I'm a James Horner fan, and I would have to say that this is one of his best works.
The movie plays off each character brilliantly, and touches on a myriad of emotions in the process. For anyone who's nostalgic about this era (early 1900s), loves the Montana scenery (get this on DVD and watch it on the big screen for full appreciation), or just wants to watch a tale of how blood really is thicker than water...this is your movie.
I watched this as soon as it hit the theaters, before Brad Pitt was even a name. The trailer they show on this site is after he became a heart throb...and it's a shame that the only movie posters that are easily found for this movie are his sexy poses. You really don't get the feel that the movie pays undo attention to his character, as they develop the other characters just as well. Anthony Hopkins and Aidan Quinn really shine in their performances.
This movie won't expand your mind, but it will strum your emotional strings at just the right pace and intensity.
I agree with the previous comments about this movie being in the top 200 of all time, with the only reservation being the ending. If you want to fully experience the movie the way it should have been done, you should turn it off after One Stab performs his series of scalpings. I will say no more.

The only other movie I can think of that would touch a similar thread of family tragedy would be Jack the Bear, directed by and starring Danny DeVito. I will warn you though, that you should not watch that movie unless you really want to wallow in sadness and depression...and feel the satisfaction of triumph through perseverence.