Far and Away

Far and Away is what in English is called "a star vehicle" for Tom Cruise and his wife Nicole Kidman. Joseph Donelly is a poor country bumpkin, while Shannon Christie is the daughter of a wealthy landowner. They meet when Joseph turns up at the manor house to take revenge on Shannon's father, who is starving entire districts. Joseph doesn't get his revenge, though; instead he ends up going to America with the rebellious Shannon.

They travel together as brother and sister, but of course there is more between them than that. They end up leading a turbulent life in New York, but all the while their eyes are fixed on the free land in the West. They are tragically separated but meet again at the great Oklahoma land rush, where of course everything turns out as it should.

Far and Away is a somewhat old-fashioned story that is entertaining enough, although it is too long. The film thrives on its wide screen and its all-too-beautiful images, but it does not give the impression of having anything to say