Review of The Horse Whisperer (1998) by Aliya D — 26 Aug 2008

Adapted from Nick Evan's stunning novel, 'The Horse Whisperer' is an endearing and surprising look into country life and healing horses. It opens with a truly haunting scene, and just continues to get better and better.

By the end of the movie, you'll be trying with a lot of effort to catch your breath...this is one heck of a film, really it is, so don't miss out. It's not perfect, and the running time is, as with all Robert Redford's films, over-long, but the 2-and-a-half-hour's buzz by.

Robert Redford's direction is hard not to praise, he brings Nick Evan's great novel stunningly to life, the film has a largely plausible cinematographer, and the whole movie looks like a crystal clear dream.

Also commendable are the amazing performances, the British Kristin Scott Thomas is on fire as Annie, she has a fiery chemistry with Robert Redford (also directing). However, the main acting star is surprisingly teen actor Scarlett Johansson, who brings the emotionally scarred Grace truthfully to life, her performance is truly moving, she plays a character, not an actor, and that is an extremely hard thing for an actress her age to do.

The Horse Whisperer not only demands repeated viewings, it commands to be praised.