Joey the Thoroughbred is born close to World War I in Devon. Farmer Ted Naracott (Peter Mullan) buys him at auction for a hefty sum. His son, Albert (Jeremy Irvine) immediately bonds with the horse and trains him into a fine plow horse. And then the war comes, and Joey's immediately sold to the British Cavalry.
For the rest of the film, Joey and fellow horse Topthorn spend the war on all sides. There they find out, as their humans counterparts already have, that war isn't pretty. Even if the cinematography depicting the war is.
And that cinematography, by Janusz Kamiński, deserves some praise. Its moving pictures contribute strongly to the epicness of it all with its use of color and size. In other words, every shot in the film is high on the wowmeter.
Assembled by editor Michael Kahn, these moving pictures create some of the fiercest war scenes in recent cinema. Composer John Williams, as he did numerous other times, has created a very memorable score to set the mood. And the actors, both human and animal, have created some memorable screen performances. Although my favorite was the goose, who unfortunately disappears when the war starts.
As the second film of Spielberg's double year, War Horse tells a simple story with epicness. It's that simple story, one of humans and horses, that'll certainly draw in its audience. Especially so for those animal lovers watching.
JETHRO'S NOTE: This concludes my year. Next year is 2012. I'm going to wager it won't be the end.
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