British director Stephen Frears has ventured back to America to make The Hi Lo Country after his less than happy experience making Accidental Hero. It`s set just prior to and after World War 2 in the high plains country of New Mexico.
Billy Crudup is Pete Calder who has a small cattle holding, his best friend is Big Boy Matson - Woody Harrelson. When the two return from the war things have changed, the cattle business is in the hands of the large landholders like Jim Ed Love - Sam Elliot. But the two share a love of life in the big outdoors, unfortunately they also share a love for the same woman - Mona - Patricia Arquette.
Billy Crudup is basically the narrator of the story, Woody Harrelson is right there in the centre and he`s never been better - his Big Boy is an electric, dangerous, likeable creature, funny too in this story of male friendship on the range, sibling tensions and the loss of a way of life. Patricia Arquette fails to inspire as an object of passion, and Penelope Cruz`s role as the girl who loves Pete is almost a cipher. Maybe that`s the way it has to be in this boy`s story which was written by Walon Green who wrote The Wild Bunch for Peckinpah. But this is a boy`s story that women will love. I did.
