Movie Review - "War Horse" (2011) ****

     War Horse kicked off day one of AMC's 2012 Best Picture Showcase, and what a way to start the day it was. Early on, War Horse seemed to be considered one of the front-runners for Best Picture, primarily due to the fact that Steven Spielberg was the director, and we know what he is capable of pulling off. Matching Spielberg with a war story seems like a sure fire way to get yourself nominated, but it's easy to say that because he does it so well. As we got closer to December, and ultimately to the pre-Oscars awards, it was clear that War Horse had lost a step and for a while it appeared it would be shut out of a Best Picture nomination. It managed to persevere though and while its odds of winning are very long, the nomination is the recognition here and it is well-deserved.

     As War Horse opens, English farmer Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan) attends an auction where he needs to buy a good plow horse for his farm so he can provide for his wife Rose (Emily Watson) and son Albert (Jeremy Irvine). At the auction though, a young thoroughbred horse catches his eye and despite the advice from friends that he should pass on it, Ted takes a gamble on the horse and pays way more than a horse of its kind should cost. This upsets Rose who begs him to take the horse back and get their money returned, but Albert senses the same things his father did about the horse and asks for one month to train the horse. Rose reluctantly agrees and right away Albert starts developing a bond with the horse, which he names Joey. Albert teaches the horse some basic commands but when it comes to plowing the field, the horse doesn't seem fit for the task. As the Narracott family is about to lose their farm, Joey is able to come through, with some help from rainy weather, and the plowing is completed allowing Ted to plant produce to grow so he can earn money.

      Joey becomes stronger with Albert's training and just as it seems all is going well for the Narracott family, World War I breaks out and the family is forced to sell Joey to a British cavalry major, who gives his word to Albert that he will take care of the horse. The middle portions of the film show Joey's many adventures as he passes through the hands of many people; among them soldiers in the British army, the German army, and a French farmer and his granddaughter. The horse ends up touching the lives of many individuals as the war progresses, where eventually Albert is old enough to join the British army and wonders if he may be lucky enough to find Joey.

      War Horse is a touching drama that finds us questioning a lot about the human race, and how one animal can unite many different individuals and teach us something about compassion, friendship and love. Spielberg turns the sap up quite a bit throughout the film and he had a lot of the audience in tears. Even though I am prone to crying in movies from time-to-time (yes, I admit it), I didn't fall for this one. I thought it was a touch over-the-top at times and it went for the heart strings too much. That being said, the movie did make me feel good and I was sold on it from the get go. Spielberg just has a way of catching great shots and the cinematography by Janusz Kaminski provides us with some amazing visuals. Another sweeping score from the great composer John Williams doesn't hurt either when it comes to capturing emotions. The acting is all acceptable, nothing earth-shattering but nothing offensive either.  Fine jobs all around. War Horse is not going to win the Best Picture Oscar, but it is well-deserving of the nomination and I highly encourage you to give it a shot.