The Mustang

source: The Mustang

The Mustang_720p(480P)

It was interesting. The movie shows what we typically think of movies about people in prison, and somehow they added horses to the element. For the most part the movie feels like a Made-for-TV movie used as propaganda to show how successful the this horse program is. The program is about certain states of the U.S.A which seem to have a Wild mustang problem, and in order to deal with it, the federal state penitentiary lunched a program to have prisoners train these mustangs to be domestic enough to sell to people. I thought Matthias Schoenaerts was good. I liked what he did with his character. very low key, but his attitude was perfect. Also a fan of Jason Mitchell and Bruce Dern, who give good performances as well. I enjoined it.

This movie is dull as dish water, none of the characters are likeable, and the movie just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, somehow it moves pretty fast, but if you must watch this drivel wait until it's on cable tv

People don't change that fast and horses don't act that way. The acting was good but the story is not at all realistic. Like Schoenaerts better when he doesn't try to be mean, violent, and ugly.

A Movie with no political agendas, Very down to earth and believable. The Film makers did a wonderful job of demonstrate how less is more.

Not a single character to "root for," virtually everyone in the flick was a miserable turd. Dialogue horrible, sometimes you couldn't even hear what characters were saying. Even ending "credits" were a disappointment, you'd think they'd show real-life photos of lead character, but noooooooooo.

I woke earlier than usual this morning and with Daylight Savings Time hitting tomorrow decided to get up and acclimate a day early. Perusing the upcoming movie releases, I was thrilled to see that "The Mustang" is scheduled to hit the theaters this month. I don't know how wide a release it will be, but it's well worth tracking this beautiful film down French actress Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre makes her feature film directorial debut here. There is little question that she will be given many more opportunities after this endeavor. Fortunately she was at the Sundance opening for the film and we had the chance to hear how she brought this film to fruition. The story is based on an actual prison rehabilitation program whereby violent inmates are given the opportunity to break and train wild mustangs in an effort to ready them for auction. There are more than 100,000 mustangs in the wild and a portion are herded up each year to enter the program. The film stars Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts. He is an established star in his country and has appeared in several Oscar nominated foreign language films, and he received a Cesar Award for Most Promising Actor for his performance in "Rust and Bone" In 2013. Schoenaerts is the heart of this movie. He and the wild horse he is assigned to break. His violent past can be discerned just by looking at him. He is a deeply troubled man and wants nothing than to be left alone. "I'm not good with people" he bluntly states. Adding to the richness of the characters in the film is Bruce Dern who delightfully plays the crusty, irascible trainer to the inmates. It's good to see him deliver a solid performance at age 82. The cinematography in the film is stunning. The mountains of Nevada enveloping this maximum security prison provide good material for the director. She puts it all to great use. Some of the scenes with Roman Coleman (Schoenaerts) and his horse are intimate and moving. This was one of my favorites from this year's Sundance Festival and I am very pleased that it made it to the big screens. I hope it reaches many of them and that you get to see it. Enjoy.

Such an amazing and beautiful story, Matthias was phenomenal!!!

Another Sundance import has come down the pike and as usual with such atmospheric projects, it must remain immune from any serious criticism from the film critic community. That's because The Mustang is one of those "well-meaning" missives on the subject of inmate rehabilitation. The inmate in question is Roman Coleman (played rather glumly by the Belgian actor, Matthias Schoenaerts) who will eventually find redemption by bonding with a wild Mustang named Marquis (pronounced "Marcus"), part of a horse training program sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management. The film is set in a maximum security Nevada state prison where the idea is for a few of specially selected inmates to tame the horses so they can be put up for auction (with profits going to the aforementioned agency that runs the program). How can one not be enthusiastic about a film that raves about a program that reduces recidivism rates? Despite some great cinematography and very able direction of her actors, first time French actor turned director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre simply has chosen a subject that doesn't lend itself to great drama. Part of the problem is the main character Roman; he's basically a one-note martinet who fits the bill of the generic angry inmate. Clermont-Tonnerre attempts to flesh Coleman out with a rather predictable back story about how he ended up doing time (guilty of a domestic violence assault against his wife) along with a series of scenes in the visitor's room where his estranged daughter pays him a visit hoping he'll sign papers deeding her the family house. The meat of the story-where Coleman must train Marquis-eventually grows tedious as the expected bonding between man and animal takes place right on schedule. Much more successful is Bruce Dern as Myles, the old codger who runs the training program. Myles proves to be much more lively than the perennially glum Coleman. To fill up time, there is also a sub-plot involving Henry (Jason Mitchell), the inmate who teaches Coleman how to train Marquis. He falls victim to the obligatory scene of gang violence that takes place in the exercise yard. Finally there's the very awkward ending which is designed to be both tragic and bittersweet. SUPER SPOILERS AHEAD. During the horse auction, Marquis is spooked by a helicopter passing by overhead and runs amok. Coleman is thrown to the ground and injured, leading to the closing of the horse training program (why dream that up when the whole idea is to promote the idea of the benefits of all that bonding?). It's a setup for Myles to clue Coleman in that he can open the gates and allow Marquis to escape before he's put down. Despite the program's closing, Coleman will be "alright" in the knowledge that Marquis will roam free! All in all, I just didn't buy the ending where a program of such value is so easily eliminated. The director here shows talent in terms of the technical aspects of film making. But the story simply devolves into almost one cliché after another. A better solution was to have done the film entirely as a documentary, eschewing the forced drama, leading to a more heady verisimilitude.