Today, modern movies seem to be the only movies that people remotely pay attention to. Although there are many “older” movies out there that get the job done, such as “The Man From Snowy River.” This 1980’s film takes place in Australia, although the plot takes place much earlier in time than that. This movie has many good aspects to it; it has great action, neat characters and an overall great story line.

A very obvious and key ingredient to this movie is its entire story line. The stories’ lead character Jim Craig is played by Tom Burlinson. The story is set in Australia during the mid-1800’s. Jim lives with his father on their small farm high atop the mountains. Jim is suddenly on his own when his father is tragically killed trying to capture a mob of wild horses. Jim is unable to stay in the mountains alone so he goes to the lowlands to find work. He is able to find a job working for a large cattle rancher. He was not very well liked by the other ranch hands because he was a mountain boy with very good horsemanship skills. Jim did chores around the ranch and helped the ranchers daughter Jessica train their prized colt. Their colt got loose and started running with the mob. The rancher asked all the neighboring horseman to help retrieve his colt. Jim was accused of letting the colt go. If it weren’t for Clancy convincing Harrison to let Jim ride, he would have had to stay back and do his chores. As the riders rode, the mob out smarted their every move, but the mountain boy was able to track them down and bring them home. The creator of the movie chose an outstanding setting that fit the movie perfectly. The mountains in this movie created outstanding scenery. The directors matched the time period perfectly. They had the right houses, trains, horses, clothes, everything. The entire movie seemed to flow nicely.
The action of this movie is unique due to its setting. The actors were able to accomplish many amazing things on horseback. The actors succeeded things like riding down a very steep cliff chasing the “brumby mob,” which is a big herd of horses made up of mostly wild horses led by a great stallion that once was tamed. All the local ranchers wanted him gone because he caused problems by running the mob through the territory. This stallion is a very dangerous horse; he is cunning and able to outwit all those who are after him. If this kind of action does not interest you, the fighting probably will. The people Jim works with on the ranch are jealous of him and pick many fights.

Another very essential part to this movie’s success, along with a negative aspect is the characters. Tom Burlinson did a great job in the lead role, playing Jim Craig. This was a good thing that he seemed to be a natural on horseback. Jim and many other characters did a great job riding up and down the mountains. Every single actor or actress in this movie did an outstanding job. Each one seemed very comfortable on a horse, as the horses were very comfortable with the riders. Along with all of the very good actors and actresses comes a negative to the movie. In the sequel of this movie many actors did not return, including one actor that played two main roles of Harrison and Spur. Unfortunately this could not have been avoided. The actor who played this role in the original was unable to return to the show, because he had a stroke.


I would recommend this movie to everybody who enjoys action, beautiful scenery, and great horsemanship. It shows how a young mountain boy works hard to gain respect from those around him and is able to move back to the place he loves. I like this movie because of the great action, outstanding characters and unique story line.