The Mustang

_The Mustang_ is a wonderful Clint Eastwood film but better because it wasn't written by directed by or starring Clint Eastwood. It's a Clint Eastwood film that isn't a Clint Eastwood film, which is the best kind.

Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre directed this story of an angry inmate who can't be rehabilitated and hates confinement, and now must break a wild mustang as part of a federal program to control wild horse population. The parallels, though a little heavy handed, are poignant nonetheless, and the look and feel of the film is so gorgeous that it will seduce you with its sincerity.

The Mustang is a twin of last year's _The Rider_, though a fraternal twin because this one is noticeably more beautiful.

From a narrative perspective, there's nothing you haven't seen done before, but it's very well-made and genuinely moving

Tonally similar to recent equine-related films such as Andrew Haigh's Lean on Pete (2017) and Chloé Zhao's masterful The Rider (2018), whilst also covering some of the same narrative ground as Michael Mann and David Milch's criminally underappreciated TV show, Luck (2011-2012), The Mustang touches on issues such as masculine guilt, penitentiary stoicism, and human-animal trust, but really, this is a character study. And yes, chances are everything you think might happen does happen, but the acting, the cinematography, the characters' emotional beats, and the all-pervading sense of authenticity and respect all contribute to the whole, wherein it turns out the familiarity of the destination doesn't matter that much when the journey to get there is so well executed.

For my complete review, please visit: https://boxd.it/NTBLp

>Psychologist: You've been in isolation. What do you think about that?
Roman: I'm not good with people.

Since I have worked with horses before, and know a few people in the system that have gone through similar situations as portrayed by Matthias Schoenaerts, this movie hit home. Some people are better with animals than they are with people, and sometimes animals can help people out even if it is not intentional.

A quietly powerful story. Tame the horse tame the man!

Solid movie with a good performance from Matthias Schoenaerts. A little slow at times.

Great movie about a man imprisoned over a decade for a violent crime who is isolated and shut down. He participated in a rehabilitation program for wild mustangs. Great movie withgreat performances showing how a turnaround can happen with the help of animals. Highly recommended.