Columbia Pictures did this one in 1952, and I am not sure how many times Holden worked in that studio. I watched this one on You Tube because I was interested in seeing a Holden movie I had not seen. Turns out this is a really good film, a sleeper which has been too often overlooked.
Granted there are many other horse race films, this one is different because it doesn't focus on the horses like many of them do. It's focus is Boot's Malone and his mysterious young man he mentors. The film is not as predictable as many of this type made.
While it does have the biggest race near the end, the path to that race is not the usual one. There's lots of story and plenty of supporting actors here to help it along. The big thing here though is Holden. He does some fine acting making what would be a mundane movie better than the average film.
The film is very good at pulling in the viewer, and Holden's acting has a lot to do with that. He is the wise trainer doing a eulogy of one of his former jockeys early in the film. Meanwhile, a mysterious young man who seems to have an endless supply of $100 bills comes into Malones world. It is this young man who keeps Boots in the horse racing game as he is thinking of quitting.
The film avoids the trap of revealing too soon who the kid really is and keeps Holden out of any romance angles which are 2 traps too many films did back then. Holden's love is for horse racing and then as the film goes on he develops a special bond with the young interloper.
At the first scene of the film, a corrupt gambler slugs Holden because of 2 thousand dollar debt Boots can't pay. He comes back later in the movie to try and get Boots to fix a race. While this plot does get used in other films, in this one it is toned down. Because of the young guy having this money, the gambler does not come to collect on his debt. Boots only money is from every character around him.
This is a refreshing look at horse racing because it actually explains some of the terminology used in racing. The acting is electric. Very good film, check it out. It's better than just William Holden but he sure makes this a better film too,
Granted there are many other horse race films, this one is different because it doesn't focus on the horses like many of them do. It's focus is Boot's Malone and his mysterious young man he mentors. The film is not as predictable as many of this type made.
While it does have the biggest race near the end, the path to that race is not the usual one. There's lots of story and plenty of supporting actors here to help it along. The big thing here though is Holden. He does some fine acting making what would be a mundane movie better than the average film.
The film is very good at pulling in the viewer, and Holden's acting has a lot to do with that. He is the wise trainer doing a eulogy of one of his former jockeys early in the film. Meanwhile, a mysterious young man who seems to have an endless supply of $100 bills comes into Malones world. It is this young man who keeps Boots in the horse racing game as he is thinking of quitting.
The film avoids the trap of revealing too soon who the kid really is and keeps Holden out of any romance angles which are 2 traps too many films did back then. Holden's love is for horse racing and then as the film goes on he develops a special bond with the young interloper.
At the first scene of the film, a corrupt gambler slugs Holden because of 2 thousand dollar debt Boots can't pay. He comes back later in the movie to try and get Boots to fix a race. While this plot does get used in other films, in this one it is toned down. Because of the young guy having this money, the gambler does not come to collect on his debt. Boots only money is from every character around him.
This is a refreshing look at horse racing because it actually explains some of the terminology used in racing. The acting is electric. Very good film, check it out. It's better than just William Holden but he sure makes this a better film too,