- Film Review
- Reviewed By Alan Jones
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4 out of 5
Although lacking the puppet theatricality of the critically acclaimed stage production, Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel emerges as an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser thanks to his sure sense of storytelling and trademark visual flourishes. It's a moving odyssey that outlines the suffering of the First World War and the loss of life while remaining family-friendly. Sold to the cavalry, thoroughbred Joey is captured by Germans and hidden by a French peasant, while tracked by the Devon farmer's son (Jeremy Irvine) who trained and nurtured him. Full of stirring spectacle (including an epic charge through no-man's-land) and poignant moments (Joey's bolt through barbed wire, which brings two warring sides briefly together), this grandiose equine saga is lavish and gripping, if a little Disneyfied in places. Much of the story is knowingly designed to induce tears, especially the final scenes shot against a burnished sunset, but there's still no doubting Spielberg's sincerity.
Plot Summary
A farmer's son forms a close bond with a horse he trains, but is forced to give the animal up when it is sold to the British army during the First World War. The horse passes through various owners on both sides as he travels across the battlefields of France, while the boy refuses to give up on being reunited. Steven Spielberg's drama based on Michael Morpugo's book, starring Jeremy Irvine, Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Rosie Narracott
- Emily Watson
- Lyons
- David Thewlis
- Albert Narracott
- Jeremy Irvine
- Ted Narracott
- Peter Mullan
- Grandfather
- Niels Arestrup
- Captain Jim Nicholls
- Tom Hiddleston
- Major Stewart
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Colin
- Toby Kebbell
- Gunther
- David Kross
- Sgt Sam Perkins
- Geoff Bell
- Army doctor
- Liam Cunningham
- French auctioneer
- Philippe Nahon
- Infantry recruitment officer
- Johnny Harris
- Base camp officer
- David Dencik
Crew
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
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