Staying Fit
On Saturday, May 1, serious horse lovers will don their sartorial finery, mix up a mint julep or two, and settle in for the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby. The first leg of the fabled Triple Crown held every year at Churchill Downs is both an annual rite of spring and a sporting event fueled by thrills and occasional spills, pomp and pageantry. It’s also — let’s be honest here — over and done with just a few short minutes after it begins. But fear not. Because if you’re left hungry for more equestrian drama, we’re here for you with this list of 10 Classic Horse Movies that you can stream in your living room any time of year.
Concrete Cowboy (2020)
Idris Elba is one of our most compelling and charismatic movie stars. Maybe that’s why his name always comes up whenever there are discussions about who will succeed Daniel Craig as James Bond. But in this recent Netflix drama, he steps outside of his usual comfort zone to play an urban cowboy like no other. Based on a real-life community of riders in North Philadelphia, Concrete Cowboy tells the inspirational story of Elba’s Harp, who shares his home with a speckled horse named Chuck. He’s a crotchety guy. But when his estranged son (Caleb McLaughlin) comes to live with him for the summer, he gets to teach him life lessons through the care and tending of an animal — and soften up a bit in the process. Like a lot of horse stories, this is a tale of redemption, but thanks to Elba’s nuanced performance, it never feels corny or trite.
Watch it: Concrete Cowboy, on Netflix
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The Mustang (2019)
Can a horse tame a man instead of vice versa? That’s the question at the heart of this terrifically powerful indie about a violent, short-fused prisoner named Roman (Belgian-born actor Matthias Schoenaerts) in the Nevada penal system. After a well-intentioned administrator (Connie Britton) helps get him into a program breaking wild horses that run free in the nearby desert, the horses and a grizzled trainer (Bruce Dern) manage to bring out a gentler side to a man who most had already written off as a lost cause. Schoenaerts is hypnotic, doing a lot by not saying much. And the sparse, magic-hour landscapes look like they could be out of an Ansel Adams photo.
Watch it: The Mustang, on Amazon Prime, Fandango Now, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube
War Horse (2011)
Steven Spielberg adapted Nick Stafford’s inventive stage play about a horse named Joey that is conscripted for use in World War I and the British boy (Jeremy Irvine) who follows his beloved animal into battle in an attempt to protect him from the German enemy’s bombs and bullets. Largely stripped of dialogue, War Horse could have just as easily been a silent film. And in a way, it kind of is. The haunting power and beauty of Spielberg’s movie comes from its almost poetic visual lyricism that at times feels like a waking dream. Through the death-choked haze of combat, Joey manages to touch everyone he comes into contact with, pulling out bits of humanity under the most inhumane conditions. John Williams’ first-rate score sells every emotional moment with beautifully stirring simplicity.
Watch it: War Horse, on Amazon Prime, Fandango Now, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube
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