War Horse review
As someone who grew up with Steven Spielberg—from my worn VHS copy of “E.T” to the life-changing thrill of seeing dinosaurs move in “Jurassic Park”—I’m a little sad its come to this. Based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo, which was itself turned into an Award-winning play, “War Horse” is an opportunity for the filmmaker to settle back into his comfort zone with an inspirational (and completely fictional) tale of courage and friendship. Set in rural England in the small town of Devon on the eve of WWII, we’re first introduced to Joey the titular horse on the eve of his birth. He’s described as being too small for being a good farming horse but that doesn’t stop alcoholic war vet Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan) from buying him anyway, in a fierce bidding war with his landlord, Lyons (David Thewlis). He brings him home to his disapproving wife Rose (Emily Watson) and teenage son, Albert (Jeremy Irvine) who promises to train Joey himself to help save the family farm.
A lengthy stretch follows Albert teaching Joey how to eventually plow their garden accompanied by a virtually omnipresent John Williams score. But after a gruelingly quaint first act we move away, WWII begins and Joey is sold to a soldier (Tom Hiddleston) on his way to war. From there, it’s Joey’s journey from setting to setting as he encounters a variety of characters in a “Cold Mountain”-esque series of vignettes—strangely enough it’s the horse’s story, not Albert’s that we’re following. The rest of the ensemble is a motley collection of recognizable British and French faces (with more than a few Mike Leigh vets) including Toby Kebbell (“Rock N Rolla”), Bendict Cumberbatch (“Tinker Tailor Solider Spy”) and Niels Arestrup (“Un Prophete”). But great casting has never been a problem for Spielberg, who frequently uses talented international actors sometimes just before their popularity explodes. Armed once again with impeccable cinematography by regular DP Janusz Kaminski—which alternates between John Ford technicolor vistas and the desaturated war scenes of “Saving Private Ryan”—the man proves once again that he knows how to compose a frame.
No one would argue that the director is a master craftsman (when he isn’t going CG overboard) but his tastes tend to fail him. Having just watched the 9 minute essay on the “Spielberg Face” earlier that day, it was definitely at the front of my mind during the film when it was employed on several occasions. And the thing is, it works wonders when you’re invested in the story but I wasn’t and so it just came off as cloying. (I couldn’t help but laugh when even the horse gets his own closeup.) A strong connection between the boy and horse is never really established in the beginning, so we never know why this horse is so special or so important to this boy. The film really picks up steam during the “Paths of Glory” sequences in the foxhole but as miraculous as the story is, it’s not a true story, so in the end who gives a shit? It’s unbelievable because this would never happen. The scenes of PG war movie couldn’t help but remind me of more thrilling scenes from “Saving Private Ryan” which he made 13 years ago. I doubt few would argue that “War Horse” is really a step forward for him as a storyteller.
I wasn’t into the film for most of it and by the end I found myself invested, despite myself. While many will lament how far he’s come since “Jaws,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” I just miss the “dark Spielberg” of the early 00’s. “Minority Report,” “A.I.” “Munich,” even “War of the Worlds” all showed the director unafraid to push his own boundaries. I was a big supporter of him during this period, even with their flaws, they were at the least bold and risky. But with his last three films: the odious ‘Indiana Jones 4,’ ‘Tintin’ and this film, he seems to be retreating to the safety of what he assumes people want from him. And none are great. Dripping with sentiment, “War Horse” is precisely the type of movie that his detractors have always accused him of making but now, I’m afraid, I can’t argue with them.
