A very good, but not great, film (7 out of 10)

Rating: 7/10 (25 July 2003)

Given all of the truly amazing -- and true -- story lines that intertwine in "Seabiscuit," it would have been harder to make a bad movie than a good one.
But maybe it is Gary Ross' inexperience at the helm -- this being his second directorial effort -- that turned an epic-caliber story and a potentially great film into just a very good movie.
Character development took a little too long, and the horse didn't even show up until well into the first hour. (The big race sequence is good, but doesn't "match" the heart- stopping dash made by Kelly Reno aboard The Black in "The Black Stallion (1979).")
I'm of the opinion that there has never been a bad movie made about a horse, but "Seabiscuit" is not the best of breed. A far better film -- and also a true story -- is 1983's "Phar Lap," about a New Zealand horse that became a champion in Australia and then traveled to North America. Simon Wincer directed, and Tom Burlinson stars.
Another great horse-racing movie is "Casey's Shadow (1978)," directed by Martin Ritt and starring Walter Matthau.