This is from the director of "The Fabulous Baker Boys", also "fabulous". Although Kloves wrote the script here, you would have sworn that Jim Thompson, of gritty novel and film noir fame, did. There is the same theme of inescapable past as in "The Grifters" and a rather unknown, which is a shame, film, "After Dark, My Sweet". (which stars the grandson of Jackie Gleeson) Quaid and Ryan were superb. It was very dark and sparse. A winner.

Flesh and Bone is an evocative, haunting and rewarding study of a drifting man (played with understated, heartbreaking perfection by Dennis Quaid) who encounters a lost soul (Meg Ryan, outstanding)leaving a violent marriage and begins a tender relationship until a dark figure from his past shows up.

Plotted an as slow burning thriller, this is really more of a complex and intriguing character study of guilt, father-son ties, violent crime and doomed love. Flesh and Bone is a bleak but supremely well crafted film that reaches a truly sad (though inevitable) conclusion. The final moment between our two main characters is incredibly moving (in a very unsentimental sort of way) and a scene that I will never forget. I didnt mind the major plot twist as its no more unbelievable that a dozen of Hollywood's most praised suspense thrillers. The spare, atmospheric photography (set in a desolate, bleak Texas) is exceptional and Thomas Newman's suberb score will get under your skin.

For those who wont something altogether deeper, affecting and more emotionally satisfying with their thrillers (or love stories), Flesh and Bone should be ripe for rediscovery.

Director Steve Kloves manages to make Texas look both gorgeous and desolate. Thomas Newman's score is haunting and evocative; Dennis Quaid, James Caan, Meg Ryan and Gwyneth Paltrow offer complex, fleshed out performances. What destroys the film in my opinion is its listless pandering, its inability to focus on the truth of the issues and its ambiguous and unfulfilled ending. FLESH AND BONE also pulls a big coincidence that manages to be both improbable and unbelievable. Kloves "twist" is predictable from the moment Meg Ryan appears on the screen, and the inevitable confrontation between Quaid and Caan is also telegraphed a mile away. In spite of its good performances and atmospheric direction, FLESH AND BONES is empty and pointless.

What I like so much about "Flesh and Bone" is that it's so unlike most other Thomas Newman scores but it also predates the movies we have came to love like "The Green Mile", "Shawshank Redemption", "American Beauty". Up to that point Thomas had not quite formed a style that we could distiguish him with, that would indentify him with the movies he scores. He beautifully captures the mood and atmosphere with melancholy and sadness and at the same time disturbing and haunting. Not a typical Hollywood score when instruments such as autoharp, bowls, bells, mandolin, marxaphone, bowed string, processed dulcimer, steel guitar, rod and plate assembles, birds, insects and vehicles along with the orchestration are heard. There is a ambience within the music that blends so well with the setting of the movie, the wheat fields of Texas.

This is perhaps Meg Ryan's best role as she delivers a truly emotionally scarred and self-forgotten Kay. Ryan's portrait of her character is so real it's scary.

Dennis Quaid is also on one of his best performances, though at the end seems a little off, but not by far. Excellent work.

Gwyneth Paltrow is memorable as she blends into the story so naturally and sharply that eventhough her character is vague in the storytelling, she shines like a true star.

James Caan is scary. He acts so naturally that you wonder if the guy is really like that. He is a solid good artist.

Bottom line: everything comes together (acting, story, photography, pauses) to produce a unique and rare jewel of a movie. If you like movies that make you think and reach deep into the soul, you gotta see it (and probably own it, I know I do).

This is perhaps Meg Ryan's best role as she delivers a truly emotionally scarred and self-forgotten Kay. Ryan's portrait of her character is so real it's scary.

Dennis Quaid is also on one of his best performances, though at the end seems a little off, but not by far. Excellent work.

Gwyneth Paltrow is memorable as she blends into the story so naturally and sharply that eventhough her character is vague in the storytelling, she shines like a true star.

James Caan is scary. He acts so naturally that you wonder if the guy is really like that. He is a solid good artist.

Bottom line: everything comes together (acting, story, photography, pauses) to produce a unique and rare jewel of a movie. If you like movies that make you think and reach deep into the soul, you gotta see it (and probably own it, I know I do).

This tale of murder and mayhem sat in the backwoods of texas isnt always easy to follow,. For starters, the two lead characters played by then lovers ryan and quaid, seem oddly mis-matched, he like he isnt really into the role at all, and she is just plain not gritty and hardened enough for this film.

James Caan is deliciously evil in this film, and viewers might get a kick out of a younger Gwyneth Paltrow as Caans young girl friend and companion. She has a small semi- nude part as well.

There is a nice shot of her and Mey Ryan out in a wheat field towards the end of the movie with their blone hair waving in the breeze.

But for all it could have been the film just never comes together fully. Still, thats just my opinion you may like it.

This music was perfect for the dark film that embodied it, yet, it is not quite the Thomas Newman we've all come to love and admire. I remember watching the film and somewhat becoming enchanted with the score, not knowing it was Newman but having a pretty good guess that it was. After I found out it was him, I decided to buy it(and I see I might have been in the minority on this decision). Word of caution, I could not find a place on the net to sample this music so you'll have to go by the film alone. If I were to compare this score to other Newman films, I'd be hard-pressed to find a suitor. One score that comes to mind is the Green Mile. If you like music that makes you think, tracks #6, #10, #11,#18, #21, and #23 will do. All in all, though, this score is not for those folks who fell in love with other Newman scores like How to Make An American Quilt, Little Women, Fried Green Tomatoes, or Meet Joe Black. It is, to put it plainly, The Green Mile on a very bad day. Even so, I gave it 3 stars because although hard to hear at times, it is very influencial music, especially for a writer like myself who gets inspirtation from music, and this score does just fine for my more morbid writings. If you're brave enough to buy this cd, I wish you luck but don't be surprised if you fall in love with it or throw it in the nearest trash can. It's that kind of score.

Why are people saying this movie is a thriller? It was so boring and pointless I had to make myself stay and watch it to the end. I'm not going to waste my time and write a detailed account of the movie. I'll just say that it was VERY dissapointing and Gwenyth Paltrow (or however you spell it) is UGLY and OVERRATED!

This film is one of my favorites. The story is suspenseful and well plotted. The theme is universal, but if you're not from small-town western Oklahoma or western Texas, or have not spent extended time there, you may not fully appreciate what a fabulous job Kloves (a native of Austin TX) has done in this film -- and how underappreciated the film is. It is a true sleeper. Culturally, this movie is the Southwestern equivalent of a film about Native Americans written and directed by a Native American. Speaking as a native of the Southwest, it was so refreshing to see a movie set in the rural Southwest that broke from the stale stereotype of the typical "western" law & order, yahoo, or save the ranch movies --one that tells a compelling and suspenseful personal story in a culturally authentic manner, without a single sheriff in sight. "Blood" or family ties are sacrosanct in this region of the country, so the theme is very appropriate to the cultural context while remaining of interest to most viewers. Ryan's, & Cann's performances are respectable, but not exceptionally authentic culturally. I agree with the earlier critique of Ryan's portrayal, but she nevertheless does a pretty good job for a girl from Connecticut-- one that is more regionally authentic than Cann's! This was the first film I saw Paltrow in, and she played her jaded character so convincingly (Paltrow's character is a wandering con artist from parts unknown -- obviously not from the Southwest) that it took time to view her differently in later films. However, if your only exposure to "cowboys" is from western movies, country-western music videos, or city-born "drugstore" cowboys, and you haven't spent time around feed lots, and cattle auctions in Texas or Oklahoma, then you've never seen real "born and bred" country cowboys from the Southwest and you probably won't realize how remarkable and true Quaid's performance is. When I first saw this film years ago, Quaid's performance was so good -- so nuanced -- that I was sure he had to have grown up in the country of west Texas. Quaid captured the body language and subtle mannerisms perfectly. My husband and I love watching this movie and we never fail to marvel anew at Quaid's performance each time we see it. It is so rare to see a captivating film of this quality and authenticity set in the rural Southwest.

"Flesh and Bone" earns two stars only because of the acting brilliance of Gwyneth Paltrow. She is thoroughly believable as Ginnie, a poorly educated girl-woman who even steals from corpses awaiting burial. Ginnie has a serious alcohol dependency problem, and seeks love and companionship from the much older Roy Sweeney (James Cann). Unfortunately, Paltrow has only has a supporting role in this mess of a movie. The other marquee named cast members include both Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. Why did they involve themselves in "Flesh and Bone?" Paltrow at least had an excuse because her career was in its early stages eight years ago. One can only assume that Cann wanted the challenge to portray someone totally manipulative and despicable. Cann's intentions may have been noble, but in the future he needn't be so lackadaisical and careless in his actual choices.

The story line revolves around the peculiar family values embraced by Roy and his son Arlis (Quaid). At the very beginning, we witness Roy wiping out a family so as not to leave behind any witnesses and "loose ends." A very young boy is even deliberately slaughtered by the father. Arlis is exhorted to always remain loyal to his immediate family regardless of their violent misdeeds. Blood is supposedly more important than adhering to the standard moral norms of compassion and honesty. Quaid's character is far too normal and decent. In real life, it is far likelier that an Arlis would be just as psychopathic as his primary parental role model. Meg Ryan as Kay is also never for a moment convincing as an adult woman of a proverbial white trash background. She fails completely to hide her upper middle class diction. The Director Steven Kloves apparently thought that Ryan's authenticity would be unquestioned if she merely left her hair uncombed. He was egregiously wrong, and the audience had to suffer the consequences. Kloves had so much talent to work with, and yet accomplished so little. The movie's pace slowed to the point where personal self discipline was required to sit through "Flesh and Bone" until its banal conclusion.

Gwyneth Paltrow fans should make sure "Flesh and Bone" is in their collection. All others, however, should not waste their precious time watching this far less than successful attempt at serious film making.

The ending of this fine film is hardly "senseless." The film is a refutation of biological determinism, although it could also be used to refute environmental determinism. After having been told by his evil father (James Caan) that they have the same bloodline--implying that this must make his son Arlis (Dennis Quaid) evil, just like his father--Arlis buys into this claptrap. "If you're born to it" and "It's not in your blood" are two of Arlis' typical comments. But at the end, when he says, "It's NOTHING--only BLOOD," he has finally realized that we all have free will and that we make our own decisions, bloodline or no bloodline. This film is truly Dostoevskian, PARTICULARLY the ending, which is as good a compliment as you can pay to any film. The great Russian novelist also saw the horrible danger in the determinist credo. Give this film 5 stars and send "A Viewer from Texas" back to school.

I'll just be short and to the point. Watch it. Second to "Hot Dog" in The Right Stuff, I'd say this is Quaid's quintessential role, and Ryan's best roll ever. Paltrow is perfect, Caan - well, no arguments here - and the cinematogrophy is just beautiful. Makes me want to move to Texas. Too bad that Texan didn't like it. I'm afraid your'e outnumbered Tex!

With such heavy-hitting box office names like Meg Ryan, Gwyneth Paltrow, James Caan, and Dennis Quaid, you would think this would be a winner, right? Wrong! This movie is all about unbearably exaggerated southern accents, dysfunction with a capital "D", and murder. It has no real direction or point, and the ending is senseless. What a waste!

There is a thin line that movies like Flesh and Bone walk, its story line suggests an overwrought film, with loud scenery chewing acting and flashy camera work. This could have easily turned into a pointless variation on the pointless U-Turn. A credit then to director Steve Klove and his cinamatagropher Philippe Rousselot for creating a completely original beast. You may not know it from a plot description, but you will never see another film quite like this one.

In the film's arresting opening scene an expressionless grim looking boy stands outside a family's house late at night. He doesn't say a word except that he's lost. They let him in, and decide to let him stay overnight. But that's not all there is to it, the boy is actually working with his father on a scheme they've perfected hundreds of times before, where he waits till the family is asleep and opens the door to his father to come in and rob the place. Something goes terribly wrong that night, but the events that transpire in this scene will haunt every character in this film. This brilliant opening sequence grabs the veiwer's attention, and makes the slow burning tense plot that follows all the more mysterious.

Dennis Quaid stars as Arliss, a man who isn't much of a talker, "You're the best listener I've ever met" Kay Davies (Meg Ryan) tells him when they first meet. "Depends on who's talking" he replies. As events unfold, with a touch if a supernatural element we come to fully comprehend why he so unenthusiastic about life. "I'm a creature of habit" he says at one point, and by then we know exactly why he feels breaking established habits can be deadly.

The dialogue in this film, which is written by the director, literally stings. There are no throw away lines, or scenes that merely exist to push the plot forward. Every line is diliberate and calculated, queitly delivered by a cast who obviously relish this high quality stuff.

All four principle cast member are excellent. I've always admired Dennis Quaid since Breaking Away, Meg Ryan successfully sheds the light comedy persona, Gwenyth Paltrow delivers her lines with icey detachment and James Caan is chilling as a man who "values his sleep".

I'd love to see more movies by Steve Klove, he has only made one other film The Fabulous Baker Boys, and most recently he wrote the wonderful Wonder Boys. Seek this film out, it has a mood all its own.

Delightfully dark movie delving into the shadows of family secrets and tragic pasts having drastic repurcussions in later life. Excellent performances from Ryan and Quaid who represent the side of human nature that makes us human. Paltrow and Caan represent the seedy, unredeemable side that we'd all rather pretend doesn't exist. Aside from the story-line this is an aesthetically pleasing movie, beautiful cinematography and haunting silences etch deeply into the viewer's memory.

I just had to share with everyone else what I felt watching this movie. I honestly believe this movie to be the best movie I ever saw. The story is extremely tragical, and you can't help but hope that this will end up alright. The stunning ending scene, left me with my mouth open and eyes full of tears. This movie simply couldn't have been done better. Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, although being great actors, never reached the level of acting as they did in this motion picture. I strongly recommend seeing it to anyone who hasn't been through a rough romantic affair lately.

I don't know the connection between the girl at the old farm house and the young cowboy

From the openning shots to the last image image of this movie, every word of the script and every shot of the camera are related to the theme of the movie. So much so, one might think Edgar Allen Poe, not Steve Kloves, wrote the script. Flesh and Bone is not only a movie of dreadful pasts and drifting futures. It is also a test of two views of life: fate and free will. Kloves uses every symbol he can to impart this test to the audience, stars and words included. And guess what! He let's you decided! All in all, Kloves script is, by itself, great liturature. Quaid, Ryan, Caan, and Paltrow do amazing work in creating their characters and making them real to the touch. You just have to watch it twice. I seriously recommend this movie for English teachers!

This is an excellent movie. The plot is a non-formulaic, realistic and riveting look at an emotionally scarred man who strives to break off all ties to his troubled past. This is probably Quaid's finest role since "The Right Stuff." When he meets Meg Ryan, the chemistry is there. Quaid's past comes back to haunt him in the form of James Caan, accompanied by Paltrow. The pace is consistently relaxed, with smooth transitions into the plot's several unexpected scenes. Stark soundtrack adds to the flavor of the film. Great flick!!

No one is less of a Meg Ryan fan than I. She is, entirely too cutsie for my taste. Not that she's bad to look at mind you. But in this film she is about as sexy, real, and sympathetic as possible. Her performance was perfect for the part.

Dennis Quaid gives his finest performance ever as the tormented son of James Caan.

It's pretty easy to see where the film is headed fairly early in the picture but it's so well acted and directed that it's well worth the price of admission. The film is extremely character driven including an incredibly cheap yet sexy Gwyneth Paltrow.

The movie has much to say about relationships, loyalty, selfishness and the price paid because of them.