For It's One, Two, Three Strikes You're Out!

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2019)

'The Natural" is one of the better baseball movies chronicling the life and times of base baller Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford).
It starts out with Young Roy (Paul Sullivan Jr.), a promising pitcher, playing catch with his dad Ed (Alan Fudge) and picking up useful pointers about pitching from the old man. Unfortunately, Ed dies leaving Roy to his own devices. The adult Roy (Redford) is involved with local girl Iris Gaines (Glenn Close) and the two plan to eventually marry. We next meet Roy on his way to a tryout in Chicago with the Cubs leaving Iris behind. On the train he meets up with reporter Max Mercy (Robert Duvall) whom he will encounter later, and "The Slammer" (Jo Don Baker) a thinly disguised Babe Ruth.
Also on board is the mysterious Harriet Bird (Barbara Hershey) a gold digging femme fatale who attaches herself to "The Slammer". A bet is placed that Roy van strike out "The Slammer" on three pitches. Roy accomplishes the feat and Harriet switches "allegiance" to Roy. Roy gets involved with her but for some unexplained reason, she shoots Roy in his pitching arm and then jumps out the hotel room window to her death.
Fast forward 16 years to 1939 where Roy show up unexpectedly in the New York Knights, a bottom dwelling baseball team, as a 35 year old rookie. Manager Pop Fisher (Wiford Brimley) is skeptical but coach Red Blow (Richard Farnsworth) sees something in Roy. After being benched for several games, Pop is forced to insert Roy into the lineup when regular fielder Bump Bailey (Michael Madson) tragically dies in an accident. Well, Roy promptly shows his talent for the long ball and becomes famous.
One day at a game Roy spies Iris, dressed in white in the stands and something comes over him. He regains his stroke and fame. On meeting with her the old flame re-kindles. But Iris has a secret that she has kept from Roy all theses years...a son.
As the Knights move toward Pop's long awaited dream of winning a pennant, Roy has a sudden attack brought on by the still lodged bullet from Harriet Bird's gun. He is told that he can never play baseball again. As the league championship game approaches, Roy announces that he will suit up one last time and..............................................................................
A great supporting cast elevates this movie to classic status. Redford, even though he was in his late 40s at the time, gives a convincing performance as the "old rookie". He gets to romance three of the most glamorous stars of the day, Close, Hershey and Basinger. Brimley as the crusty old manager and Farsworth as the veteran coach almost steal the movie. Prosky and an unbilled McGavin are suitably slimy as the villains of the piece.
And by the way, did the Knights eventually win the World Series?
Roy runs into Mercy who is unable to place Roy in his memory. Kinight's owner, The Judge (Robert Prosky) and gambler Gus Sands (Darren McGavin) are betting against the team and cleaning up. In order to keep "an eye on" Roy they arrange for gorgeous blond Memo Paris (Kim Basinger) to become "involved" with Roy. This leads to Roy losing his focus on baseball and sees his popularity plummet in the process.