A great story badly told

Rating: 6/10 (29 July 2003)

The film introduces us to three men and one horse who greatly impact each other and the American spirit. But the introduction is sloppy and uneven, choosing some highly undramatic moments to make no point at all.
Only Randy Newman's score could overcome the lazy use of Voice Overs and still photos, and bring out the emotional sweep this story deserves. And still, the film comes to a strangely flat end. The Voice Over insists on telling us what we already knew - that the whole of these four fragile entities was far greater than the sum of their parts. The closing shot gives us no sense of Mr. Howard's beloved Future, nor a forlorn sense of past. Just dirt and credits -- once again rescued (but only barely) by Mr. Newman's understanding of pathos.
Note to the art department: The books and furnishings were not old at the time. The cover of Flash Gordon ought to have the style of the period while still looking brand spanking new. Ditto for the furniture, and for the little ball-in-the-hole game.