A superb film. The narrative is somewhat similar to "Martin's Day" (1984). Butch (Kevin Costner) comes to be everything a decent father should be to the boy. He respects the boy's autonomy, is never patronising, never lies to him 'for his own good'. There's a wonderful scene where the boy reveals that he has been made to feel inadequate about the size of a certain part of his anatomy. Butch asks the boy to show him and is able to reassure him that there's nothing wrong with him. In conversation with the boy, he emphasises the boy's abilities, what he can do rather than what he can't do. In consequence of all this, a bond of love begins to develop between them. There's a scene early on in the movie where Butch's partner in escape, Terry, seems to try to molest the boy. However, this doesn't quite fall in with modern mythology, because Terry's character has already been signalled as aggressively heterosexual. The message of the film is thus rather more complex than would be that of a similar film made in today's febrile climate. There's another strand in this film's plot involving Eastwood's character and his relationship to Butch that gives added depth and meaning to the narrative. T.J. Lowther is utterly wonderful in his role as Phillip Perry. Overall, a definite 'must-see'.

My Movie Rating: 9 / 10