Review of War Horse (2011) by Hatem A — 16 Aug 2013

3.5/4.0.

Count on Spielberg to turn the tale of a horse into a nearly 2.5-hour epic movie that is one of the most engaging and moving films of the year. This is possibly the director's "best-looking" movie (partly thanks to breathtaking cinematography by the always-reliable Janusz Kaminski) as it takes us from the sheer beauty of the English countryside to the harshness of French WWI trenches.

Based on the 1982 children's book by Michael Morpurgo (that was adapted to a successful stage play), the movie chronicles the life of a horse named Joey born in Devon, England who is bought by drunkard farmer (Peter Mullan) to the utter dismay of his wife (Emily Watson). His teenage son Albert (Jeremy Irvine, impressive in his film debut) takes the horse as his own and trains him, saving his father's farm from being given back to its ruthless landlord (David Thewlis). [The movie takes time - nearly 45 minutes - to establish the essential bond between Joey and Albert and (surprisingly) never bores in the process]. When WWI hits, the father sells the horse to a cavalry officer (Tom Hiddleston) with Albert adamant to reunite with Joey one day.

What is most impressive here is how Joey, the horse works as a full-rounded character one roots for with no use of visual effects. He is the real hero as he makes a horse-friend, changes owners over the course of the four-year war that include two German boys (including David Kross from "The Reader") and a little French farm girl and her grandfather (great French actor Niels Aresturp in the movie's strongest supporting performance). The movie never tries to portray the Germans as utter bad guys (an expected cliché) showcasing goodness on both sides of the war. Although this is not a war movie per se, the "battle" sequences are thoroughly engaging and perfectly staged (but with far less R-rated gore than Spielberg's classic war epic "Saving Private Ryan").

The movie stretches a bit in the final battle sequence as the war nears its end but that is a minor flaw to such a mesmerizing film-going experience that is in some ways reminiscent of the epics of Hollywood's golden era. It is hard not to be moved or even shed a tear as the movie unravels, while remaining an utterly uplifting experience.

Nominated for Six Oscars: Picture, Art Direction, Cinematography, Original Score, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing.