So many movies got by me in the Seventies and Eighties that it's an occasional treat to catch one now that delivers in an entertaining fashion. I've never been a fan of Jane Fonda because of her politics, but there's not a scene here in which she doesn't look great, and not a scene where Robert Redford doesn't look like,... the Sundance Kid. He brings the same facial mannerisms and reactions to bear here as in his more acclaimed role, which by the way happens to be one of my all time favorite films. I guess teaming him up with a horse is just the right trick.
The story has some of the elements that show up in my favorite movies as well, that of an underdog taking on a mission that's somehow larger than himself. By riding Silver Star off of a Las Vegas night club stage and into the Western wilderness, Sonny Steele is at the same time attempting to find personal redemption from a life overcome by glitz and crass commercialism. In the process, Fonda's character falls victim to a journalist's primary obstacle, that of becoming part of the story she's covering as a reporter.
I recall seeing trailers for the film back when it first came out; who can forget the image of the Electric Horseman as Redford mounts up on Silver Star and takes on the appearance of a Christmas tree on the Las Vegas strip. The story behind the picture still has relevance today, even more so than back in the Seventies, as each successive year's technology and focus on celebrity removes us further and further away from the things that matter most. Oddly, watching the picture today, it felt more like a made for TV movie than a major theatrical release. Another example of how each new blockbuster film today has to try and outdo the one before with even more elaborate glamor and special effects.
The story has some of the elements that show up in my favorite movies as well, that of an underdog taking on a mission that's somehow larger than himself. By riding Silver Star off of a Las Vegas night club stage and into the Western wilderness, Sonny Steele is at the same time attempting to find personal redemption from a life overcome by glitz and crass commercialism. In the process, Fonda's character falls victim to a journalist's primary obstacle, that of becoming part of the story she's covering as a reporter.
I recall seeing trailers for the film back when it first came out; who can forget the image of the Electric Horseman as Redford mounts up on Silver Star and takes on the appearance of a Christmas tree on the Las Vegas strip. The story behind the picture still has relevance today, even more so than back in the Seventies, as each successive year's technology and focus on celebrity removes us further and further away from the things that matter most. Oddly, watching the picture today, it felt more like a made for TV movie than a major theatrical release. Another example of how each new blockbuster film today has to try and outdo the one before with even more elaborate glamor and special effects.