Seabiscuit proves to be a hell of a ride

Don't worry that all you know about horses is that they have a leg at each corner, Seabiscuit is an utterly charming, uplifting and feel-good film.

Seabiscuit

Director: Gary Ross

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, William H. Macy, Elizabeth Banks

Cert: 12.

Don't worry that all you know about horses is that they have a leg at each corner, this utterly charming, uplifting and feel-good film - about America's greatest racehorse - is one of the year's 'must see' productions.

Seabiscuit was a small, lazy, nondescript horse - not the sort to put your last clean shirt on - who became the unlikely hero to millions during the Depression Era.

He was the hero America needed, a little fellow with heart.

Ross's wonderfully warm-hearted film is simple enough - our hero takes on the might of the opposition and shows them a clean pair of hooves - but it's told with care and attention to detail.

The action scenes are among the best ever seen in a Hollywood movie.

This, of course, isn't a film about horse-racing, it's about hope and renewal.

Ross is brilliantly served by a top-class cast: Maguire is the jockey who is too tall, too thin and too inexperienced, Cooper is the dour trainer who sees what others don't in Seabiscuit, Bridges is the wealthy businessman who brings everybody and everything together and Macy contributes a terrific performance as the manic motor-mouth radio commentator, a sort of Greek Chorus.

This gentle picture is a major hit Stateside, but even if you've never heard of Seabiscuit go see it, you'll come out feeling a great deal better.

Star Rating: 5/5