1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- War Horse

#1145- War Horse (2011)
Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan
Directed by: Steven Spielberg


Plot Summary: A young colt is bought at an auction by Ted Narracott for 30 guineas. Spending more money than he had trying to outbid his landlord Mr. Lyons, Ted and his family must now come up with enough money to pay the rent on their farm. Ted promises Lyons that he will meet the deadline and plans to use the horse to plow his entire turnip field by autumn. The horse is too young and energetic to train, so Ted leaves the horse in the care of his son Albert. Albert forms a deep connection with the horse and names it Joey. They are able to plow the field by the deadline, but a treacherous rain storm leaves their crops ruined. With the start of World War I, Ted has no choice but to sell Joey to the war effort. Since Albert is too young to enlist in the war, he cannot accompany his pet into battle, but Captain James Nicholls, the officer Joey is sold to, promises Albert that Joey will be taken care of and hopefully returned to his owner when the war ends.


When I was getting ready to watch War Horse, I had the WRONG perception of the film. I kept saying, "My Christmas review is going to be on a film about a boy and the bond he has with his horse." Needless to say, that was a very close minded view on a much deeper concept. True, there is an established relationship between a young man and his horse, but it doesn't end there. They're actually split up by the events of World War I and the audience spends more time following the horse on his journey during all these little adventures. Since the film plays out like an anthology of events in the life of the horse named Joey, I'm going to focus on the events of those stories and the characters in those stories, making this review a little more unique than my usual format of "main character this, supporting character that, music this, settings that, legacy this..etc." While a little long in time, it seems to fly by with all these stories and I'm sure most of you will find some of the subplots in War Horse more compelling than the others. I know I did.

During the early point in Joey's life, we not only see his developing relationship with his owner and trainer Albert Narracott, played by Jeremy Irvine, but we also see Albert's relationship to his family. The bond between Albert and Joey is obvious and what the audience would come to the movie to see, but what really had me compelled in the first act of the film was the strained relationship Albert has with his father Ted, played by Peter Mullan. What keeps the son estranged from his father is his father's drinking habits. His mother Rose, played by Emily Watson, whom he does have a strong relationship with sheds light on WHY the father drinks heavily. She reveals to Albert his father's past in the Army, including showing him his father's regimental pennant (a symbol that travels with Joey throughout the film). This opening act is full of classic Spielberg whimsy, including the developing relationships and a conflict that would need to be solved by means of a miracle (in this case, Albert properly training Joey to plow an entire field by a certain deadline).

With the start of World War I, Joey is sold to a British Army Captain named James Nicholls, played by Tom Hiddleston. From there, Joey is taken to the warfront alongside Nicholls and is partnered with a black horse named Topthorn. Topthorn is commanded by Major Jamie Stewart, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. It's Hiddleston and Cumberbatch that drive this part of the film. They are both really good at playing roles very different from what the nerd culture is used to seeing them as. It's here that Hiddleston plays a man of honor and dignity and Cumberbatch plays a cocky and proud braggart. It's strange since we know Hiddleston as Loki (Asgardian God of Mischief), and even when Cumberbatch plays the villain he makes sure to give them a sense of class and charm. Here, they're nearly opposites from who they usually play and it's refreshing.

There are three stories that follow that serve as a good middle portion for moving Joey and Topthorn around Europe during the war. The first is a short but sweet story of two brothers in the German Army that use the horses to try and escape from the war. Next, is a story where the horses are found by a French farmer, played by Niels Arestrup, and his granddaughter Emilie, played by Céline Buckens. This one has a lot of heart, but it's primarily from Emilie and her grandfather than it is Joey, who is mostly just there as a window for the audience to see this relationship. Joey and Topthorn then find themselves back in the German Army pulling heavy artillery and in the care of Private Friedrich Henglemann, played by Nicolas Bro. His compassion for the two horses is actually pretty captivating since he seems to be the only one in the Army to empathize with the animals. This one is also kept pretty brief but it is definitely memorable since it paints at least one (three if you count the two brothers in the earlier story and four if you count one that I will talk about in the next story) of the German soldiers in a sympathetic light that we aren't used to seeing in the movies.

My personal favorite side story is the scene where Joey is caught in barbed wire and a British soldier Colin, played by Toby Kebbell, and a German soldier Peter, played by Hinnerk Schönemann agree to a truce while they help free the horse. Both men are entranced by the horse, and it is through saving him that they have a bond, even though they are on opposing sides of war. It is in this scene, and indirectly thanks to Joey, where we get a taste of the British and German armies realizing they aren't too different from one another. A very powerful scene in an already powerful movie.

We see Albert's development scattered throughout the film, eventually enlisting with the British Army. Once Joey makes his way over to the British side once again, it's only a matter of time before these two are reunited. It's the culmination of their reunion that perfectly embodies Spielberg's utilization of war drama and vintage whimsy. We have seen this friendship established and tested through the wartime, and we all know how the movie is going to end, yet there are tons of suspenseful scenes where their eventual reunion is in question. It's arguably one of the most obvious and telegraphed endings you could think of for a film, but of course, the audience is fully sucked in to all the drama of whether or not they will be reunited. It takes a real visionary like Spielberg to keep the audience anticipating a heavily telegraphed and obvious finale, yet here we are buying into it hook, line and sinker. Bravo Steven Spielberg. Bravo indeed.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

War Horse is a wonderful blend of Spielberg's historical and whimsical films. If you can make it through the 2 1/2 runtime, it's definitely worth the watch to witness a modern classic from one of the most iconic directors of our time. If you love Spielberg, war movies, or movies for the family, this is one worth owning in your collection.

War Horse and movie images are copyrighted by Touchstone Pictures