'Horse Whisperer' is wonderful

"The Horse Whisperer," based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Evans, chronicles the psychological turmoil of the affluent, urban MacLean family.

An equestrian accident, beautifully staged at the beginning of the film, severely injures the young daughter, Grace (Scarlett Johansson). Grace's horse, Pilgrim, is also wounded in the accident.

Grace's mother, the driven and ambitious Annie MacLean (played by Kristin Scott Thomas), fears that her daughter will never recover emotionally from the accident.

Unable to connect with Grace, Annie takes it upon herself to heal Pilgrim instead. She contacts an animal healer, Tom Booker (Redford), known as the "horse whisperer."

Courtesy of Touchstone Pictures Outstanding performances by Robert Redford and his co-stars make "The Horse Whisperer" a success.

After Booker's initial refusal to help Pilgrim, Grace and Annie travel to the Montana ranch where Booker lives with his brother and sister-in-law.

Booker then accepts the challenge and spends the bulk of the film attempting to soothe the horse's agitated spirit. Meanwhile, an attraction begins to kindle between Annie and Booker.

The leisurely fashion in which "The Horse Whisperer" moves allows the full complexity of relationships to surface. The accident highlights the strained relations between mother and daughter, as well as husband and wife (Sam Neill plays Annie's husband Robert) and man and animal.

These relationships provide the core of the film and make it relentlessly fascinating. Each character is damaged in some fashion, and nobody completely recovers.

Thankfully, "The Horse Whisperer" spares the audience a typical Hollywood ending in which all problems are resolved.

REVIEW
	The Horse Whisperer At Showcase and State 4 stars

A stunning set of performances creates deep interest in this human drama. Newcomer Johansson tackles the difficult role of Grace with great self-assurance, acting out convincingly the pain Grace feels. Her performance is every bit as accomplished as those of her better known co-stars.

Scott Thomas delivers a superb performance, soaring across a challenging range of emotions. Her character, Annie MacLean, is wonderfully rich and interesting. Neil is also solid as the introvert Robert MacLean, whose wounds are hidden from view.

Dianne Wiest (perhaps the best supporting actress at work today) is marvelous as Diane Booker. She lends a sense of stability to the film and anchors "The Horse Whisperer" in a touching way.

Redford's performance is characteristically subtle. Resembling his contemporary, Warren Beatty, Redford doesn't dazzle with displays of theatrical pyrotechnics.

Rather, he quietly enters the soul of his character and, as Booker, projects solidity and warmth in one of his finest performances in years.

On the technical front, Redford and his cinematographer, Robert Richardson, capture the beauty of the Montana landscape in many exquisite sequences. Redford is also incredibly attuned to sounds and textures throughout the film.

Despite his good sense, Redford indulges an annoying tendency to film his characters surrounded by an outline of golden sunlight. The slow-motion sequence of Thomas and Redford on horseback is also a tad silly.

Another minor flaw of "The Horse Whisperer" is length. At two hours and 45 minutes, the film is a tad long.

Even so, Redford produced a splendid film that defies simple categorization. "The Horse Whisperer" transcends any particular genre in the same fashion as previous successes like "Quiz Show" and "The Milagro Beanfield War."

The film unpretentiously examines its characters and will inspire introspection on the part of the viewer.

05-18-98