IRON WILL
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1994 Michael John Legeros
Directed by Charles Haid (the TV actor from "Hill Street Blues") Written by John Michael Hayes and Djordje Milicevia and Jeff Archer Starring Mackenzie Astin, Kevin Spacey, August Schellenberg, and David Odgen Stiers. MPAA Rating: "PG" Running Time: Approx. 100 minutes
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Corn doesn't come any fresher than Disney's IRON WILL, an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser about a boy and his dogs and a 522-mile winter race. Perfect for kids and not-bad for adults, IRON WILL is a pleasing, hokey alternative to the dreck that passes as current "family fare."
Inspired by a true story, Mackenzie Astin plays "Iron" Will Stoneman, a spirited South Dakota lad who signs up for a marathon dog-sled race in 1917. The first to reach St. Paul, Minnesota from Winnipeg, Canada, wins $10,000--a sum that will go far to help the strapped Stonemans. They're in straits since Dad died during--what else?--a dog-sled drive.
So, filled with both grim determination and his mother's fruitcake (don't ask), Will rides for his father, his family, and his (college) future....
IRON WILL is, simply, the kind of movie they don't make anymore.
The story is simple and straight-forward: it's about a race. And when the race ends, the film ends--a rather jarring effect in this era of padded running-times. Other than the drama, nothing else in IRON WILL is inflated. It's all scene after scene of Will racing onward to face increasingly difficult odds.
(Oddly, one the film's weakest moments occurs when the filmmaker's take something OUT. The sole incongruity is a 90's-style training montage that makes no narrative sense other than to condense a few extra minutes of screen time.)
Corny as it comes, there's alot to like about IRON WILL. The cast goes down easy AND manages to keep a straight-face when delivering drippy dialogue like "Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams, son." The action is great, the dogs look good, and, in the wake of recent wicked weather, the locales looks especially uninviting.
And the audacity that the director exhibits in manipulating his audience is almost worth the price of admission. From the early death of Will's dad to a championship cloying finale, Haid pulls every string he can lay his hands on. It's hilarious.
IRON WILL is also good will. For audiences who are weary from endless product tie-ins and strong social commentary, the film's near-lack of cynicism is a welcome relief.
Bottom line: The inflated drama of IRON WILL would sink any other
film like an ironclad. But, coupled to the "real life"
story of 1917 dog-sled race, it works to fine, hokey
effect. Perfect for kids. Not bad for adults.
Grade: B
-- Michael J. Legeros SAS Institute Inc. legeros@unx.sas.com 919-677-8000 x6735
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