War Horse

They say that in show business you should never work with children or animals; legendary director Steven Spielberg has certainly worked with children before, but “War Horse,” the filmmaker’s 29^th film, marks his first big work with a member of the animal kingdom – well, that is unless you want to include mechanical sharks, genetically-engineered dinosaurs and torch-fingered extra-terrestrials in that mix.

“War Horse” stars, as I’m sure you can tell, a four-legged equine mammal in the leading role. This is Joey, who is played by fourteen different horses throughout the film – this is opposed to the stage play on which the film is based, in which Joey was a puppet controlled by puppeteers. The flesh-and-blood horses displayed on-screen here are beautiful creatures and, perhaps more shockingly, splendid actors. Joey acts as the film’s protagonist, although the film is more of an ensemble piece, much of the rest of the cast consisting of human beings.

The story revolves around World War I, as seen through the eyes of a “miraculous” horse. During a public auction in 1914, young Joey is purchased for thirty guineas by down-on-his-luck English farmer Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan, “Tyrannosaur”), who believes there’s something special about the horse. Ted’s kindly son, Albert (Jeremy Irvine, “Life Bites”), agrees and begins bonding with Joey. He excitedly teaches Joey to react to his whistle, trains him to be a plow horse, rides him and presumably showers him with sugar lumps at some point.

Unfortunately for Albert, Ted is forced to sell Joey to the British army soon after news of the war breaks out. Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston, “Thor”), Joey’s new master, promises Albert that he will take good care of Joey and return him safely once the war is over. Nicholls takes off with the rest of the army in the direction of inevitable carnage, though Albert vows that he will see his beloved horse once again.

And so begins an eventful adventure for this plucky little horse, as he is taken across war-torn Europe under the guidance of several different masters. One minute he’s with the British army, the next he’s with the German army, another he’s on a French farm, and soon enough he’s leaping over the trenches of both German and British soldiers, all the while yearning to be back in the arms of his true owner, Albert.

To say the film is slightly episodic would be an understatement; by its very nature it is episodic, its narrative structure consisting of different chapters connected only by the presence of this helpless horse. This is both a positive and a negative; on the one hand, each chapter introduces interesting characters, intriguing situations and acts as a very entertaining self-contained story; on the other hand, the narrative’s slackness can be a bit annoying on occasion.

Nonetheless, the film is fully engaging from start to finish, even with a story that is beyond far-fetched (Joey’s constant luck leaves one suspicious that he is in fact a hornless unicorn). The many characters with which we are presented are rich and full of personality and motivation; it also helps that they are wonderfully performed by actors who carry much charisma. Alongside Irvine, Mullan and Hiddlestone, we have the talents of Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Marsan, Toby Kebbell and Niels Arestrup. Spielberg has assembled a very fine cast for a very fine film.

There’s little use in denying that the story is cheesy; it’s cheesy with a capital C, in fact. Yes, sentimentality runs thick throughout the two-and-a-half-hour length as Joey the horse clippity-clops his way into dangerous situations and has an inexplicably overwhelming effect on those around him. The love and connection shared between Joey and Albert is also a tad corny, perhaps unavoidably so. Some will find this bearable and may even be reaching for sheets of Kleenex, while others will find themselves groaning their way through the thing – I myself found it tear-jerkingly effective as it neared its moving end.

Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kamiński remain masters of the camera; “War Horse” is surely among the most visually arresting films the pair have photographed together. From the beautiful sunsets of the French countryside to the bloody battles between German and British forces, the film is a visual marvel featuring set-pieces that are a wonder to behold – the sights of Joey leaping over trenches are in particular breath-taking.

Spielberg has directed three wartime films in the past: these are “Empire of the Sun,” “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan.” While “War Horse” is not in the same league as these three masterpieces, it is still an excellent drama with a heart-warming and accessible story, superb acting, visual magnificence, a bold ambition and a beautiful horse.

8/10