Top pick on so many of my lists

Rating: 10/10 (5 July 2020)

I wore out my VHS copy of this movie and lent out my DVD copy so many times, it's amazing it found its way home. It is on my Favourite Movies of the 1990s list, my Movies Watched Multiple Times list and my Movies to Watch Again list. Now, it is one Netflix, where I just watched it for some uncountable time. This movie plays romance beautifully. It takes its time. Anthony Hopkins performance is stately and rich. I truly believe that this movie would have fallen short if it had not had Claire Forlani's performance of vulnerability and soulful longing. And, then, there is a young Brad Pitt, a strikingly handsome, beautiful man. He was criticized for his wooden portrayal but they missed the point. His acting was on point as he moved seamlessly from an idealistic young man facing a new life that was full of possibilities, to the embodiment of a dangerous and isolated entity seeing life for the first time through its beautiful vulnerabilities. The supporting cast is excellent. The music is perfect. This film is always a straight up 10 out of 10, for me. {Drama, Fantasy, Romance}