THE HORSE WHISPERER (1998)
Directed by Robert Redford
Starring : Robert Redford (Tom Booker)
Kristin Scott Thomas (Annie Maclean)
Scarlett Johansson (Grace Maclean)
Sam Neill (Robert Maclean)
Produced by Robert Redford & Patrick Markey
Based on the book `The Horse Whisperer' by Nicholas Evans
A Touchstone Pictures Release
Running Time : 2hrs 45mins
Reviewed by Jack Choo Rating : **** out of *****
No Black Beauty here.
A veteran returns to the helm, this time directing probably his best = effort ever. Even though Robert Redford's time as a box-office star in = his younger days are long gone (in the likes of Paul Newman and Steve = Macqueen, in the eary 70's), his progress in the art of American Cinema = never did cease. Departing the indulgence with complexities in modern = human lives (QUIZ SHOW), THE HORSE WHISPERER, wonderfully merges scarred = lives in a beautiful tale of spiritual and emotional healing.
The film opens into a cold harsh winter sequence followed by a shot of = Grace (Johansson) getting out of bed cheerfully to meet up with her best = friend, obviously a routine but enjoyed by both. Grace looks forward to = this meeting as it involves her other best friend, a horse named = Pilgrim. As both of them rode their horses through the snow, gossiping = on boy topics, an unexpected accident occurs. The result; the death of = her best friend and the loss of part of her right leg. Pilgrim survived = the accident, heavily scarred and injured. Deeply shocked with the = incident, Robert (Neill) and Annie (Thomas) struggled to come in terms = with the trauma which had obviously devoid Grace of any form of hope in = life. Pilgrim's entire persona too, has changed. Wild and violent, = Pilgrim is no longer the same horse which embraced Grace's love and = care.=20
Knowing how much the horse meant to Grace, Annie put her ladder-climbing = career as a magazine editor on hold to drives both Grace and Pilgrim to = the wild-west to a well known `Horse Whisperer', Tom Booker (Redford). = The `Horse Whisperer', like Booker is known to have a special talent in = being able to relate to the emotion of horses. Annie hopes that by = bringing healing Pilgrim, which to her, personifies an icon of hope to = Grace, will ultimately heal her daughter as well. Little does she know, = Booker will heal just a bit more than Pilgrim.
THE HORSE WHISPERER merges Pilgrim, Annie, Grace, Booker and Robert, = each with their own personal in-bound demons and liberates them; = providing a solution to all but one. While I will no tell you the = ultimate outcome of it all, I will tell you that Booker's character is = probably one of the greatest `hero' to embrace the screen. Redford and = Thomas both give Oscar-nominate-able performances as Booker and Annie = respectively. Two other performances worthy of mention comes from = Johansson as the out-of-hope Grace and of course, who cannot fall in = love with that Brown Wonder, Pilgrim.
Redford's ability as a director may as well earn him some sort of = recognition here. Even though most will find the pace a tad too slow, = THE HORSE WHISPERER never falters in term of story progression and = character development. The wonderful cinematography and landscapes = formed the formula for a remarkable visual experience but it too served = in many ways to belittle its characters, making them seemingly powerless = to their surroundings, hence increasing their vulnerability. Smart move, = Mr. Redford.
THE HORSE WHISPERER is definitely one of the best films I've seen this = year.
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