The first thing I thought as I left the theater after seeing All the Pretty Horses was what I would give to see the first cut of the film. According to Premiere magazine, the first cut of the second feature film directed by Billy Bob Thornton was four hours long.

Thornton made his directorial debut in 1996 with Sling Blade, a film in which he starred and for which he wrote the screenplay. If nothing else, the shortened two-hour final cut of All the Pretty Horses is a direct reflection of Thornton's talent as a director.

From the second the opening credits start, the movie is one shot after another of beautiful sweeping landscapes that actually last long enough for the audience to appreciate both the land and the cinematography.

The soundtrack is excellent as well — many times the audience hears, and therefore feels, the horses before they appear on screen. This effectively makes the audience become part of both the landscape and the movie.

All the Pretty Horses is based on the National Book Award-winning novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. It tells the story of two young Texans who head south to Mexico in search of a time when land is sacred and working the land evokes nothing but pride.

Henry Thomas and Matt Damon play Texas cowboys Lacey Rawlins and John Grady Cole, respectively. On their trek they meet a young runaway played by Lucas Black. This chance meeting comes back to haunt Rawlins and Cole later in the movie. In Mexico, Cole and Rawlins work on a ranch. While there, Cole falls in love with Alejandra, the ranch owner's daughter, played by Penélope Cruz. However, their affair is a fairly insignificant story line — Cruz is onscreen for a total of about 15 minutes.

As a huge Matt Damon fan (I even liked him as the skinny psychopath in The Talented Mr. Ripley), it pains me to say that Thomas really outshines Damon in this flick. Don't get me wrong — Damon looked good in his tight jeans and cowboy hat, but quite frankly, I've seen him do better.

My biggest complaint with the film is that it is choppy. There is no doubt in my mind that the longer version would have been better because none of the movie's many story lines were fully explored.

My final gripe about the movie is that it lacked focus. If it were a story of friendship, romance, adventure across the border, or drama — then make it that — but having all these elements whirling around in front of breathtaking landscapes defeats the purpose of telling the story.

Even with its few faults, All the Pretty Horses is worth seeing — and renting it six months from now won't do.