A major disappointment! Incompetent director ruins a great story.

Rating: 6/10 (2 August 2003)

My rating: **1/2 out of *****. I almost walked out of this movie several times during the first hour, as I was bored. I did not read the book before seeing the movie so I would not have any expectations. Maybe I should have, as the movie leaves so many unanswered questions. This film is a major disappointment for me. I had looked forward to seeing this movie after hearing all the hype and the great story. The story of Seabiscuit and the men around him has all the ingredients of a great movie. Unfortunately Gary Ross, the director and script writer, screws everything up, except the casting, which is great. The music is inappropriate and irritating. The editing is lousy. The cinematography swamps the story and is uninspired. The script is mawkish and portentous. I felt like I was watching a comic book. All the scenes are short and framed and beautiful, like pages in a comic book. Is this a documentary of the depression a la Ken Burns TV projects? An epic film a la Dances With Wolves? A human story of three wounded men who find redemption? Or a story of a mistreated and badly trained horse who finally wins? Gary Ross attempts to combine all these stories into one movie. He consistently chokes off emotional climaxes leaving me teased and frustrated. And the ending is uninspired and maddening. Mildly recommended, after all it is a great story and the lead characters are great. I watched Michelangelo Antonioni's Red Desert that evening. What a difference - a director who knows how to use the camera, set scenes, camera angles, who creates deep complex characters, and knows how to use color in a film...and this film is from 1964!