Jake Long Some say that the western genre can only take place in the AMERICAN old west, but this movie proves that theory wrong! Set in old Australia, it is a western without a doubt, and a really great one at that. And no one can argue otherwise. I'd like to see you try. That AND it's fun for the whole family. That's right, a good western that the kids can enjoy too.Now, the only question that remains: how the heck did they get Kirk Douglas's leg to do that from every angle? They really had me fooled!

HotToastyRag When a teenage boy's father dies, he works on a ranch to save enough money to restore his father's farm to its former glory. While learning the ropes and becoming a man, he falls in love, but finds himself in the middle of a long-standing feud between two brothers who could interfere with his impending marriage. Kirk Douglas plays a dual role in The Man from Snowy River, as both estranged brothers, and while that's fun to watch, you're probably not going to like this movie unless you're really in love with westerns. Most of the movie focuses on the beauty of the landscape, and showcasing wild horses running around and cowboys working with cattle. If you think watching scene after scene of that will bore you to tears, you might want to try a different western, or a new genre altogether. If that type of scene appeals to you, you'll probably like it and will want to read A.B. "Bajo" Patterson's original poem. As you know, I'm not terribly in love with westerns. I much preferred Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

mattkratz This movie set in Australia has excellent cinematography and is basically about mending fences. Kirk Douglass plays a duel role as brothers who have to mend things on a late 19th-century ranch. They get help from their family, and there is also hunt from gold and lots of horses, as they try to hunt them down and corral them. My favorite scene:a guy's lying on the ground injured, and a wild horse who frequently appears throughout the movie jumps over him on two legs very wildly, and proceeds to fall on him, and they show it in slow motion, frame-by-frame.Basically, this is a family movie, and not too bad. Watch it with the entire family if you can.** 1/2 out of ****

petersj-2 Kirk Douglas is great in two roles and Jack Thompson is there as he is in just about every other Aussie film these two fine actors get star billing. Jack plays Clancy of the Overflow but its really a cameo. The real star of the film is a young Tom Burlinson and he not only looks great he gives the most heart warming natural performance. It is Tom's film. The producers felt there needed to be a love interest and poor Tom gets Sigrid Thornton who is the only disappointment in the film. Thornton delivers her dialogue quite stiffly almost as though she is reading. There is more romance and chemistry between Tom and the horse than there is with poor old Singrid. The scene of her rescue is however spectacular. But forget all that and feast your eyes on Tom and enjoy the glorious scenery, listen to a magnificent score. Some of the dialogue is rather twee especially when there are direct quotes from Patterson's brilliant poetry. The poem is a great classic and Banjo is one of the greatest writers of all time.