Review of The Mustang (2019) by Ginak — 27 Mar 2019

Matthias Schoenaerts gives a completely believable, intense performance as Roman Coleman in an excellent character study of a convict, imprisoned for a rash violent act, who finds himself by learning to train wild stallions.

Based on an actual government program, the movie manages to be highly emotional without being soppy or sentimental, thanks to the wonderful acting of Schoenaerts and Bruce Dern and the rest of the cast.

The scenery is magnificent, and the direction is excellent, concentrating on the story and characters and not tricky camera angles. Only an over-the-top performance by Coleman’s “evil” cellmate blemishes a wonderful film.

Luckily we don’t see much of the cellmate or the sentimental exchanges with the woman whom Coleman has wronged, although she is quite well-played by Gideon Adlon.