Review of The Mustang (2019) by Greatmartin — 01 Apr 2019

"The Mustang" is not "Black Stallion", "Black Beauty" or "National Velvet" but it really tries to be a good movie and there are some very effective scenes but it fails. (There was a movie last year about a horse and trainer that was excellent but as much as I tried to remember and search I couldn't find it--anyone remember it? A true story with mostly non-actors.).

I thought it was me but I asked a few people if they understood what, if any, they understood what the cell mate was saying and/or the daughter's voice over but they agreed with me that they didn't.

Getting to the movie, there is no faulting Matthias Schoenaerts as the 12 year prisoner who gets into a training program involved with training the wild mustangs gathered by helicopters to be auctioned in 4 weeks. He is in prison for almost killing the mother of his daughter with the latter forced to taking care of the former. This is just one instance where the screenwriters Laure De Clermont-Tonnerre, who also directed, Mona Fastvold and Brook Norman Brock. I am willing to suspend logic in movies but Gideon Adlon in no way looks old enough to be left alone to take care of the mother starting 12 years ago and there is no mention of anyone else involved.

The screenwriters also let the audience down in what should have been a powerful scene between father and daughter. There is a group therapy session lead by a favorite of mine, Connie Britton, which is a waste of time and talent while Bruce Den is effective as an old time trainer.

The film feels both rushed and extra scenes put in to expand it to 96 minutes while more time should have been spent with why Ramon (Schoenaerts) is the way he is but the scenes between him and the supposedly crazy mustang make up for the many mistakes made in other aspects of the film.

I question the so fast training of the horse but then this city boy wouldn't know about such things!

Aside from what could be seen as inhumane treatment of the mustangs there really isn't any obvious harm or violent scenes against the horses.

"The Mustang" is worth seeing if only to learn about the government p[rogram regarding the prisoners and horses but it leeft me feeling empty. Roman (Matthias Schoenaerts), a convict in a rural Nevada prison who struggles to escape his violent past, is required to participate in an “outdoor maintenance” program as part of his state-mandated social rehabilitation. Spotted by a no-nonsense veteran trainer (Bruce Dern) and helped by an outgoing fellow inmate and trick rider (Jason Mitchell), Roman is accepted into the selective wild horse training section of the program, where he finds his own humanity in gentling an especially unbreakable mustang.