The Mustang

Writer/Director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s The Mustang is gritty, but well-done drama about Coleman Roman, a violent convict (Matthias Schoenaerts), who is given the opportunity to participate in a correctional program in which wild Mustang horses are tamed.

At the risk of coming across as sexist, I have to acknowledge how amazed and impressed I was that the charming, slight-framed Director I met at the recent French Film Festival was able to so expertly deal with a basically all-male American cast of tough-looking actors and wild horses.

The story which pits an angry man against an angry horse is not a happy one, but is one that sticks with you.

Schoenaerts is extremely effective as Roman, Bruce Dern provides a strong performance as the head wrangler and Gideon Adlon is excellent as Roman’s estranged daughter.

Though the focus is on the convicts, the tragedy of how Mustangs are treated strongly resonates, especially when helicopters run them down until their hooves bleed and some break their legs. (FYI, that’s not shown in the film, but it happens in real life.)

The Mustang is well-worth seeing.  I give it a 3.9 out of 5.