Tir-na-nog: È vietato portare cavalli in città

This small-scale film focuses on Gypsy folklore and myth, reincarnation, nature, and childhood.

Early in the film two Irish boys are given a horse by their grandad, which they decide to keep hidden in their tenement flat. Their father is severely depressed after the death of his wife, and lets the boys run riot. When the children (and horse) go on the run, he comes to terms with his travelling past with the Gypsies again and seeks solace in their help, wisdom, and faith.

'Into the West' is a truly remarkable film. The actors playing the children are remarkable (especially Ciaran Fitzgerald as Ossie), while the adult cast are headed by Gabriel Byrne (as the former traveller father) and his then-wife Ellen Barkin (as the mystical gypsy Kathleen). Both are excellent, while the mystical thread of the story - against the odds - remains believable and leaves an ending of optimism and goodwill.

Mike Newell, the director, and Jim Sheridan, the writer, deserve high praise for this movie. I also need to mention the Celtic music which pushes the story along and does much to set the atmosphere. Superb.

I always remember this movie for the shock of seeing a horse trying to live an apartment. Now, there's an unusual sight! I revisited this film last week and for a second and an overdo "ride" with these mystical Irish gypsies and their strange. By the way, I hadn't realized how nicely filmed this was until I saw it on 1.85:1 widescreen DVD.

Also to my surprise was that it wasn't the happy, family film I had remembered. There are many moments of frustration, sadness, violence, injustice, ete. It's hardly a bunch of fun times. The language is such, too, that I wouldn't recommend this for little kids, unless perhaps in Ireland where everyone seems to use Jesus' name in vain frequently, even kids.

It's still a story, basically, about two kids trying to capture and then keep a white horse, which is taken away from them. The cops (some crooked, as filmmakers love to show), the crooks and family are all out over the countryside looking for the boys and the horse.

In between, their father slowly comes to grips with the death of his wife some seven years earlier, a tragedy he has never been able to deal with correctly.

The best character and the most fun to watch is little "Ossie," played by Ciaran Fitzgerald. He's the one most-attached to the horse and the wee one has some of the best lines in the film.

`Into The West' is a beautifully made film: that it is also a wonderful children's move is only an added delight.

This film is a ghost story of love, loss, redemption, and the power of both myth and family to endure (if not exactly overcome) the twin bedevilments of a well-intentioned but meddling socialism, on the one hand, and privileged and greedy capitalism on the other. It is a modern fairy tale (with ties to traditional Irish mythology); but remarkably, it is also an honest, gritty look at the lives of not only the urban poor, but also of that most marginalized and enigmatic of socio-ethnic groups-the contemporary gypsies (or `travelers,' as they call themselves)--who eke out a meager but defiant existence in a world of the `settled.'

The movie is sympathetic to these people, but never over-romanticizes them. Around their campfire is not only joyous traditional Irish music and dancing, but also a television going full blast. And while their children are as happy as children anywhere, their camps are not idyllic picnics, but cold and grubby landfalls.

The story itself is not overly complicated. A strange white horse appears out of seemingly nowhere and is drawn to the two young sons of a widowed traveler, the death of whose wife has driven him to reject the gypsy life and embrace the bottle.

The horse, which has a preternatural jumping ability, is stolen and sold buy a corrupt police officer, then retaken by the boys, who then find themselves led westward by the horse, followed by both their father and the authorities.

All such journeys, of course, are journeys into both history and self knowledge; and it is here the film excels, gradually spinning out for us, with as few words as possible, the tale of a lost wife and mother, while showing us how the uncertain quest brings both father and sons to a better understanding of themselves, their history, and each other.

The film is painterly, well-acted (with especial kudos to the children) and splendidly edited--with no endless chase scenes (no more than necessary, anyway)--and with one of the most perfect and revealing climactic shots ever filmed--full of magic and metaphor--with never a word or a heavy-handed image.

`Into The West' is the perfect film for discriminating film lovers who want to watch some superb cinema with their kids-or without them.

P.S. My seven-year-old daughter loved it.

This excellent movie deals with issues of identity, death and family. It is also a very funny and gentle fantasy (set in contemporary times) about two Irish boys and their magical horse.

This may sound silly to many. I wouldn't even fault anyone for having passed on it during its initial theatrical release or for passing it by in the video store. The marketing of this movie made it seem like a wacky, silly movie about kids getting into and out of several situations with their horse. The only reason I even saw it was faith in the cast and crew. I feel I was well rewarded.

The performances are exceptional. The two boys behave in a completely natural way without resorting to traditional "cutesy" mannerisms and expressions (which isn't to say the movie does not have its cute moments. ..it's just that they don't seem forced when they happen). Gabriel Byrne's performance is absolutely beautiful. Even though the movie is about the kids and the horse (at first glance) it really is about him and his character's denial of what he really is and how he is set right again.

The cinematography, direction and music are all superb. You won't be disappointed if you just give it a chance.

Don't let the cheesy video cover put your off. This is a gem of a family movie that uses a wee bit of magic to pull a dysfunctional Irish family back together. This is not a Disney film. The actors lack Hollywood's plastic sheen and cutesy appeal--they're real and honest, and good. You know from the start that this story will end happily, but there are some interesting surprises along the way, and at the end, you feel like you've just seen a piece of literature, not popcorn entertainment.

I give this film 9/10. My 12-year-old gave it 10/10, and my sometimes-cynical husband acknowledged "Yeah, it's a pretty good movie." That's high praise indeed.