Set in South Texas ranch country, Wild Horses starts when a Texas Ranger named Samantha Payne decides to reopen a 15-year-old missing persons case but soon finds her life is in danger. The young man who went missing was involved with the son of a wealthy rancher named Scott Briggs. When Briggs discovers the two men together, he banishes both of them off the property and tells them not to come back.
That same night, the young man went missing, and when Payne reopens the case 15 years later, the Briggs family is the first place she looks to when she wants to find some answers to the mystery. Briggs has two sons: KC and Ben, the latter being the one caught in the indiscretion. But the longer the investigation goes on, the more the elder Briggs is looking like he has something to hide about that fateful night.
Soon, Ben comes home and tries to reconcile with his father. His brother KC is supportive of him and glad to see that he’s come home, whereas Briggs is a little less enthusiastic about the reunion. The movie is also filled with familiar themes such as illegal immigration, gay rights, the drug war, spousal abuse, and the sometimes difficult relationship between fathers and sons.
The other theme of the movie involves the elder Briggs trying to decide what to do with his estate, as well as his life, now that he’s older. The longer the missing persons investigation goes on, the more stuff the viewers learn about this family of ranchers who seem to have a lot to hide. The movie ends with a showdown in the desert that results in a Jeep being on fire, Mexicans disbanding and running away, and the Briggs family heading home, but there is little explanation as to what happens next.
The following are the main characters in Wild Horses:
Robert Duvall (Scott Briggs)
Scott Briggs is a gruff rancher who has made a lot of money in his lifetime. One night, he catches his son Ben in an intimate encounter with Jimmy, one of the ranch hands, and he yells at them to leave the ranch. That night, Jimmy disappears, and when the investigation is reopened 15 years later, Briggs immediately starts to act like he has something to hide.
He also tries to put a stop to the investigation, which causes even more suspicions being laid upon him. He seems to be a complex character and is a combination of biblical conservative and tough guy who is still willing to take the law into his own hands if he must. Although some critics complained that not enough was explained by the end of the movie, the character of Scott Briggs is enough to keep most viewers interested right up to the end.
James Franco (Ben Briggs)
Ben Briggs is Scott Briggs’ gay son, and it is he who gets caught being romantic with a ranch hand named Jimmy. When he returns to his father’s life years later, the reunion is awkward at first. The scenes that take place demonstrate that even under normal circumstances, relationships between fathers and sons can be difficult, but when you add in what they’ve been through together, it can be even harder.
Ben is unapologetic about being gay but wants to at least try and understand his father’s point of view. When it comes to Jimmy, he remains mum, but you still get the impression that he just might know or suspect what might’ve happened that night. His relationship with his brother KC also improves, in part because KC is supportive of Ben from the time he returns home.
Josh Hartnett (KC Briggs)
KC Briggs is Scott Briggs’ other son, and by the time the reopening of the missing persons case occurs, the audience finds that he has followed in his father’s footsteps and has learned the ropes of the ranching business. Like his father, he is now comfortable with the business and has settled into the lifestyle that he’s grown up with.
KC is also very generous to his brother Ben when he returns. His open teasing Ben about his sexuality is his way of telling his brother that everything is okay between them. KC is also involved in a scene toward the end of the movie when he and his father are trying to stop a group of Mexicans who are attempting to smuggle drugs into the country.
Luciana Duvall (Texas Ranger Samantha Payne)
Fifteen years after a young man named Jimmy went missing, Jimmy’s mother approaches Texas Ranger Samantha Payne and asks her to reopen the investigation and try to figure out what happened to him. As soon as the wheels of justice begin to turn, Payne finds that her own life is in danger. She suspects the members of the Briggs family, in particular Scott Briggs, but the closer she gets to the truth, the more fearful she becomes that things might turn out badly.
Nevertheless, Payne pushes on with the investigation and remains a professional. Still, you can’t help but suspect that she may be hurt – or worse – by the end of the movie. But she is relentless in her pursuit of the truth and determined to do the right thing for Jimmy’s family.
Angie Cepeda (Maria Gonzales)
Maria Gonzales is the Mexican housekeeper for the Briggs household, and since she’s been there so long, you can’t help but wonder exactly what she knows about the missing persons case. The movie also hints at a possible one-time relationship between Maria and KC Briggs. That being said, the biggest sense of importance attributed to Maria Gonzales is that she might very well know something about what happened to Jimmy. Whether or not she comes forward with this information is anyone’s guess at the beginning of the movie.
Jim Parrack (Deputy Rogers)
Deputy Rogers is who Scott Briggs goes to when he wants Samantha Payne to call off the investigation into Jimmy’s disappearance. The two men have known one another for many years, so Rogers decides to put a slight fear into Payne so she can lighten up a bit. Some scare tactics are employed, courtesy of Rogers, and Payne definitely takes notice even though she doesn’t stop her investigation. Rogers is definitely a less-than-honest cop.
Darien Willardson (Jimmy Davis)
Jimmy is the ranch hand who gets caught with Ben Briggs in a compromising situation. No one has seen him since, and his mother is the one who goes to the Texas Ranger and begs her to reopen the investigation into his disappearance. Throughout the movie, no one knows if Jimmy is alive or dead, or what happened to him. This is a brief but very significant role.
Other characters in Wild Horses include the following: