On H List of Movie Reviews
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The Horse Whisperer (1998)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
9/02, 9/23
9/23:
The Horse Whisperer is a terrific motion picture.
Tom Booker may be the deepest character of Robert Redford's career. He can do no wrong, appearing mystical
with the right lines. Kristin Scott Thomas does well and can be respectful when called for. Playing the spoiled
rich girl, Scarlett Johansson is impossible to like but is thankfully put out of the way for the most part after
she and her mother reach Montana.
Of course, Pilgrim is the show. Every time the attention is on him, the power of editing comes alive. The most
dramatic moment is when Scarlett Johansson was atop him before they rose up. Thinking back to the major accident,
it's hard to believe that Pilgrim was able to withstand the hit by a Mack truck and survive afterwards.
I was willing to give the movie a '10' because everything had been extremely good, especially the cinematography.
The running length of 170 minutes doesn't bother me which is the point: it takes time for change to happen.
But this is what disappoints me the most: the romance subplot between Tom Booker and Annie MacLean.
Um, why? I thought the whole thing was about the girl. What if she found out about them? It would undo everything
that the mother came to Montana for. Her husband didn't deserve it, either. If there were marital problems, I
should've been informed of them beforehand, but the horse/girl conflict was already enough to make the film.
All in all, I'm surprised The Horse Whisperer received only one Oscar nomination when it should've gotten
more.