It is, no doubt, challenging to take a story who’s end is known in advance, and tell it in a manner that will still be engaging. Mike Rich, the writer, and Randall Wallace, the director, took a proper approach by focusing on the human side of story rather than on the horse. Some moments in the film are powerful and effective, yet the film drags for a good 30 minutes longer than it should, and loses focus in the process.
The subject of this story is Penny Chenery, played with charisma by Diane Lane. She is a woman in a men’s world, at a time when her struggle stood for more than an attempt to save a horse farm. Some parts of the story were oversimplified where a deeper look was needed, while other parts over-dramatized, where subtlety was called for. All in all, this film could have been so much more. Rated at 4.5 stars by my kids who enjoyed it, it’s a close 4 on my scale, but not close enough...