Mattie: Hi, Patty. I'm in the mood for a good movie, and you're always the first person I turn to for suggestions.
Patty: Well, there are lots of good things out there right now. What kind of movie are you in the mood to see?
Mattie: I'm up for something sentimental -- not overly cerebral – I wouldn't even mind a good cry.
Patty: In that case, I've got the perfect recommendation for you – War Horse, the new movie by Steven Spielberg. Have you heard of it?
Mattie: Yeah, I've seen some previews on TV – wasn't sure how much I'd like it. You know how movie ads are. But what's the plot of War Horse?
Patty: Well, it starts off in a small village in Devon, England, right before World War I. Ted Narracot is at an auction for horses, and against all logic and reason, he goes into debt to buy a big horse that he wants to use to plow his farm. Everyone thinks he's out of his mind because he drinks a lot and his family is in desperate financial straits, but he insists on doing it. He takes the horse home and endures his wife Rose's criticism for spending money they don't have. His son Albert is ecstatic, though; he loves the horse, which he names Joey, and the family begins the long process of teaching the horse to plow their farmland, which is full of rocks. Not long after that, Britain enters World War I, and some soldiers come through their small village trying to buy war horses. They finally persuade the family to sell Joey, and the soldier who buys him promises to return Joey to the family if he possibly can. The son is heartbroken because of the bond he's developed with Joey, but he accepts the necessity. Then Joey goes off to war.
Mattie: Does Joey survive the war? And does Albert get reunited with Joey?
Patty: I'm going to leave that to you to find out; it would spoil the action if I told you. The British sent a tremendous number of horses in World War I, and not very many of them came back. But here's something I can tell you: About two years later, Albert is old enough, so he goes off to join the war.
Mattie: Is the movie gruesome and violent?
Patty: Well, it isn't like Saving Private Ryan, which Spielberg also directed. But it does show the horrors of war. It's rated PG-13 for a certain amount of violence, and there's a horrendous scene where Joey gets hopelessly tangled in barbed wire. His chances of getting out of the situation don't seem very likely. I read, though, that the "barbed wire" they used in filming was made of rubber, so no animals got hurt.
Mattie: Anything else you can tell me?
Patty: Well, the acting is great, by Peter Mullan and Emily Watson, who play the parents, and by Jeremy Irvine, who plays Albert. But the biggest stars are the 12 or so horses who play Joey. I even read that these horses had to have makeup so that they would look like the same horse.
Mattie: Does it seem like a Christian movie?
Patty: Yes, it does; or at least it has a lot of Christian values in it. The soldiers call Joey a "miracle horse." You see a soldier in the war saying the 23rd psalm. The whole story is about bravery and sacrifice and how people need to persevere in difficult circumstances.
Mattie: OK, you've convinced me. I'm going. How would you rate it?
Patty: I'd give it about 3 ¼ stars. Let me just tell you, though, that my son saw this movie before I did, and he said I'd better take along a handkerchief. I'd advise you to do the same.
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