You know the drill: aging athlete, fighting against declining skills/advancing pain/physical & mental breakdown to get thru just one more goal/fight/race. Here, character actor Clifton Collins Jr. takes on a leading role playing the worn out jockey going for broke in this well-meant, often effective indie from writer/director Clint Bentley. Two complications: his longtime trainer pal (and sometime romantic interest) has a new horse with tremendous potential under the right hands (his), and a new kid at the track, likely competition and just maybe the son he never knew about. It’s the latter complication that gives the film a fresh kick, since it plays out like a horse-track/gender-switched STELLA DALLAS/’37. The old Barbara Stanwyck weepie about the slatternly mother who does right by her daughter by giving her up to her uppercrust dad & stepmom. Bentley even ends his film with a near quote from this King Vidor classic. Didn’t see that coming. That said, most of the film’s tropes are nearly as worn down as our jockey. And Bentley’s idea to visually freshen things up consists largely of shooting everything in ‘Golden Hour’ sunset/sunrise haze, or in shadow, silhouette or heavily backlit. The idea must have been to hold any bright sunshine in reserve for the races. But, possibly from budgetary constraints, these are all handled via tight close-ups on Collins as he bounces thru a race. (Collins also a rather presenational kind of actor for Bentley’s ultra-naturalistic style.) Still, interesting stuff, worth a look.
DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: For an aging horseman (rodeo, not racing), JUNIOR BONNER/’72 is tough to beat. OR: Check out that final shot from STELLA DALLAS. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2018/12/junior-bonner-1972.html https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/06/stella-dallas-1937.html
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