เรื่องราวของสามหนุ่มพี่น้อง (แบรด พิตต์ , ไอแดน ควินน์ และ เฮนรี่ โธมัส) และหนึ่งสาวสวย (จูเลีย ออร์มอน) ที่ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างพวกเขาและเธอ ได้เปลี่ยนแปลงชีวิตซึ่งกันและกันไปตลอดกาลA box-office hit when released in 1994 this sprawling frequently overwrought familial melodrama may get sillier as its plot progresses but it s the kind of lusty character-based epic that Hollywood should attempt more often. It s also an unabashedly flattering star vehicle for Brad Pitt as Tristan--the rebellious middle son of a fiercely independent Montana rancher and military veteran (Anthony Hopkins)--who is routinely at odds with his more responsible older brother Alfred (Aidan Quinn) and younger brother Samuel (Henry Thomas). From the battlefields of World War I to his adventures as an oceangoing sailor Tristan s life is full of personal torment especially when he returns to Montana and finds himself competing with Alfred over Samuel s beautiful widow (Julia Ormond) whose passion for Tristan disrupts the already turbulent Ludlow clan. Under the wide-open canopy of Big Sky country this operatic tale unfolds with all the bloodlust tragedy and scenery-chewing performances you d expect to find in a hokey bestselling novel (in fact it s based on the acclaimed novella by Jim Harrison) but it s a potent mix that s highly entertaining. Not surprisingly John Toll won an Academy Award for his breathtaking outdoor cinematography. --Jeff Shannon
