Easily the best film released so far this year,
”
Seabiscuit,
”
currently playing at Premiere Cinemas, is a superior piece of
filmmaking.
The only thing that worried me about Seabiscuit was the decision
by the heads of Universal Studios to release this deep, expansive
drama during the summer which is primarily ruled by the flash-bang
of action movies.
Easily the best film released so far this year, “Seabiscuit,” currently playing at Premiere Cinemas, is a superior piece of filmmaking.
The only thing that worried me about Seabiscuit was the decision by the heads of Universal Studios to release this deep, expansive drama during the summer which is primarily ruled by the flash-bang of action movies.
This movie is getting lost amid the multi-million dollar special effects laden competition.
I think “Seabiscuit” would have been better received by audiences during the Fall, which is more typically the time for releasing dramas.
In spite of that decision, “Seabiscuit” is a story that strikes a chord deep within the American psyche. What really drives this story is the fact that it is a uniquely American, and it is true. Except for some dialogue used to set the dramatic tone, the movie faithfully follows the events surrounding this horse and its legendary feats.
The inspirational true story of Seabiscuit is a history lesson worth learning. At the height of the Great Depression, a small, unruly, glue factory-bound race horse defied the odds to win more races in a short time than almost any other horse before him. Along with wining the races, he captured the heart of a nation.
In a true David versus Goliath moment, the horse that was given up for dead by most, challenged and beat Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, in a 1938 match race heard by more than 40 million people nationwide.
Although Seabiscuit and his achievements are the focus of the movie, the plot revolves around the three men who saw something in the horse and gave him a second chance. And in the process, gave each of them a new lease on life. The three men who are each wounded souls much like Seabiscuit when they found him were owner Charles Howard, played with great warmth and sensitivity by Jeff Bridges, id a born salesman with a kind heart who makes a fortune selling Buicks in Northern California. But Howard’s spirit and zest for life are lost after his son dies in a tragic accident.
Horse trainer Tom Smith, brought to life with an excellent performance by Chris Cooper, is an old cowboy who is becoming as obsolete as the horses he loves in the world of rapidly shrinking wide, open plains that are being gobbled up by barbed wire, locomotives and roads.
Oversized jockey John ‘Red” Pollard , Tobey Maguire, a young man who is torn from his impoverished family during the Depression and lives a hard life as a part-time jockey, part-time boxer who loves racing horses but who is blind in one eye.
They’re all beaten, but somehow, when the four come together they create a magic that is unmistakable. Even though the outcome of the film and many of the races is already known, and at times a touch melodramatic, Seabiscuit lifts audience’s spirit so much so that people were actually clapping and cheering in the theater. The film does have some graphic scenes and language.
