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The film opens in a dark place. Reilly, depressed by the death of his wife, has left the Travellers and is drinking heavily and living on welfare in Dublin. When the boys, 8-year old Ossie (Ciaran Fitzgerald) and his protective brother, 12-year-old Tito (Ruaidhri Conroy), are given a snow-white horse as a gift from their grandfather (David Kelly), however, the film turns a corner. Grandpa Ward tells the boys about the Celtic legend of a white horse named Tir na nOg who comes from the land of eternal youth, and they promptly call their horse Tir na nOg. When the authorities find the horse in the Reilly's flat, however, they sell him to a wealthy businessman who discovers that the horse is a graceful jumper and primes him for competition. The boys, who have formed a strange bond with their horse, promptly steal him back. Escaping from the pursuit of villainous authorities, they embark on a journey to the west of Ireland, following the white horse wherever he takes them. Pretending they are cowboys, the boys get into one harrowing escapade after another, at one time taking the horse to a movie theatre and another time for an elevator ride in an apartment building. Redeemed by a relationship with a "fellow Traveller", Kathleen (Byrne's real-life wife Ellen Barkin), Reilly realizes he must save both himself and his children and takes off after them with renewed vigour. Into the West is
a spirited adventure combining mysticism, social realism, and action/adventure
that transcends the facile Disney genre and has a universal appeal. If
you think you are too jaded by modern society to enjoy this film, just
close your eyes and remember how the world looked when you were 12-years-old.
Now climb onto your magic horse and go where it goes.
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