Far And Away (1992)

In the Ireland of 1892, a poverty stricken Irishman (Tom Cruise) sets off to America with the headstrong runaway daughter (Nicole Kidman) of a wealthy Irish landowner (Robert Prosky). They both have their dreams but everything seems against them. Directed by Ron Howard, this is an old fashioned movie but old fashioned in the good sense. It starts off weakly with Howard overdoing the movie Irish bit and one suspects he watched too many John Ford movies while preparing for this. I kept waiting for Victor McLaglen to show up! But once they get to America, things pick up nicely. Tom Cruise isn't remotely believable as an Irishman (his Irish accent is the pits), he's Tom Cruise, Movie Star. And that's just fine because that's what this kind of movie needs, a charismatic star at its center. The film's high point is a stunning recreation of the 1893 Oklahoma land rush, strikingly shot by Mikael Salomon (THE ABYSS) in 70 millimeter (12 cameras were used to film it) although few theaters actually showed it in the format and edited by Daniel Hanley and Mike Hill. With Thomas Gibson, Barbara Babcock, Colm Meaney, Jared Harris, Cyril Cusack and Brendan Gleeson.