The pathos ages well...

Rating: 10/10 (21 August 2018)

I saw this film when it first came out in 2003 and thought it was a rousing, slight underdog story, nothing more or less. But I recently re-watched it and I was struck by how much more I enjoyed the film the second go around. Yes the movie is a slice of Americana, and maybe a bit corny but there is darkness and surprising amount of depth here. A lot of it comes from irony and self-awareness of the screenplay; the use of narration debunking myths of that era encourages us to maybe not take everything that happens at face value. Likewise, there is a some undercurrents of cynicism about Howard's populism. In any case on the second watch I saw a lot more contradiction and humanity behind the rousing sentiment.
The film is extremely well edited. The racing scenes are very exciting but the film covers a lot of ground economically and there is a ton of interesting juxtapositions. A lot more dramatic weight is covered by how the events are put together. I must also say that the cinematography (and production design) is glorious. The rich hues of autumn infuse the film and it really looks like the depression. It was very striking to see this again as a it was no where near over saturated as I remember it. It's warm but not bright. Really top of the line work.
Lastly, I don't generally like Toby Maguire but he's really, really good in this film. He's period, harsh but decent, tough but kind and he's really sexy with red hair. I think Red might his best character. In the end this is a fine film, maybe a bit old fashioned, maybe a bit too PBS but enjoyable, moving and more complex than people give credit for.