Secretariat
Rating: 6/10
Cast:
Diane Lane, John Malkovich, James Cromwell
Director: Randall Wallace
This latest from Disney is the tale of a horse and of a woman who
wouldn't let go.
Diane Lane stars as Penny Chenery, an 1960s American housewife,
whose family has spent generations breeding racing horses on their
Virginian farm.
When her father (Scott Glen) becomes too ill to continue on the
farm, Penny, against the wishes of her family, takes over the
business. With the help of maverick trainer Lucien Laurin (John
Malkovich) this housewife with a passion for horses and honouring
her family's legacy takes on the industry and leads her horse,
Secretariat, to the challenge of winning the Triple Crown.
Secretariat is one of those to file under earnest and worthy but
dull at times.
It's incredibly slow to get going - from its sombre opening to the
final furlong two hours later, there's a bit of a slog here to be
frank.
Sure, Diane Lane and John Malkovich turn in sturdy performances in
this aspirational and inspirational film - but you can't help but
feel your attention drifting when the focus moves away from the
racetrack and the inevitable financial troubles faced by the
family.
That said, when it's on the race track, that's where the film truly
comes to life - and sees you on the edge of your seat.
Cameras take you right into the heart of the racing - be it on a
horse or by the hooves, the filming of the races really does soar
and gets your pulse going.
Secretariat won't win any awards, does exactly what you'd expect
from an inspirational film and does at times feel like a little
earnest TV Movie - which is a shame because the final 20 minutes
sees the film come vividly to life with an injection of drama and
tension.
Watch the Secretariat trailer here.
