Review of War Horse (2011) by Walter M — 15 Oct 2013

Let's start at the beginning with "War Horse," as a colt is born on a farm in Devonshire. Eventually colt and mother are separated, as the colt is sold at auction. Ted Narracott(Peter Mullan) wins the battle of the auction versus Lyons(David Thewlis), his landlord, but it looks like he loses the war when it turns out he has no money left for rent. The only hope for retaining the family farm is for Ted's son Albert(Jeremy Irvine) to somehow get the colt, now named Joey, to plow the land, which of course he does. And then somebody shoots Archduke Franz Ferdinand which ruins everybody's decade.

"War Horse" is an uplifting and sentimental story about a boy and his horse with multiple points of view. Granted, it is set amidst the horrors of war which contradicts some of the intended high spirits. Throughout, Steven Spielberg cares less about the human beings involved than his sweeping vistas, although there is one great scene amongst all of the carnage. Casting Peter Mullan might have been a mistake as this movie was not built to contain his volatility but Tom Hiddleston is a perfect fit for this old fashioned production. And Liam Cunningham and Niels Arestrup are welcome sights anywhere. In the end, I think Spielberg, got it back asswards. He should have made "The Adventures of Tintin" as a retro live action movie and "War Horse" as an animated film, considering the overriding temptation to anthropomorphize the horses who are the real stars of the movie.