Redford at the top of his game

Rating: 10/10 (14 November 2000)

Because Robert Redford has become the symbol of filmmaking in America--having won an Oscar in his directorial debut for "Ordinary People," then founding the Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival--his work tends to be scrutinized more than most. We watch each frame of his films just to see if he'll slip up. As evidenced by his latest, "The Legend of Bagger Vance," Mr. Redford is a filmmaker of scientific precision. He was in a zone when he made this one.
Going in I wasn't all that intrigued by the story: a once-great golf pro tries to regain his game against two of the world's best golfers. As you'd expect, golf here is a metaphor for life. I hung on every word of Bagger Vance's philosophical speeches to Rannulph Junuh (dig the genuine 1920's names) about how to find, say, the perfect shot or the perfect swing. I have no idea why because the game itself bores me. I was simply there because when a Redford-directed film unspools, I've learned by now that I should be in the audience. The man just knows how to pull you in.
The story is set in Savannah, Georgia, where golf is bigger than football in Texas. The Great Depression has just hit. Adele Invegordon (Charlize Theron) has just inherited her father's fortune--which includes the golf course he'd just finished--after the man's suicide. The golf club and resort is worth little now and she's approached by some local men about selling. She believes she can bolster its value and has the idea to hold a tournament on the course between the country's two best golfers, Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. Savannah is thought of as the golf capitol of the world so its people insist on one of their own playing in the tourney. A local boy, Hardy Greaves (J. Michael Moncrief), a dedicated fan of Savannah legend Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon) who hasn't been seen since leaving to serve in the Great War, promises a town hall filled with the city's elite that he can produce the missing golf pro--and does. It just so happens that Adele was Junuh's lover before the war.
The idea isn't that interesting but Redford's gift is making his chosen material engaging. Junuh is persuaded, going against his better judgment, to compete against Jones and Hagen. Problem is, he's 'lost his swing.' Enter Bagger Vance. Vance (Will Smith) is like a figment of Junuh's or Hardy's imagination. Like Shoeless Joe Jackson in "Field of Dreams" ("Vance" has the same sort of mystical, magical feel of that film), he's a ghost--only everyone can see him. He offers his services as Junuh's caddy but isn't satisfied with just carrying and selecting clubs. In fact, he rarely even does what a caddy is supposed to do (which creates many of the film's humorous moments). Vance has a different fight to help Junuh win--the battle of the soul.
The tournament itself takes up most of the film and it is, needless to say, executed to perfection. It has all the intensity of a great sports film plus all the deliberateness and beauty of a Redford film.
"The Legend of Bagger Vance" is certainly one of the best, if not the best, films of the year. It's been a weak year for the industry so that isn't saying much. This just makes work of true quality easier to spot.
Grade: A