Jockey

I found a film without sex or violence that moves an audience's soul as those tropes never could. Jockey is intensely character driven with an unlikely hero, Jackson (Clifton Collins Jr.), a middle-aged jockey whose glory days are behind him but who conveys the hope that more may yet be coming. What he has accumulated, however, are some dear associates like horse-trainer Ruth (Molly Parker), with a hint of love on both sides but mainly horse-business. They resemble carnival workers committed to roaming the range with working-class races and a freedom not to be seen again.

Writer-director Clint Bentley (son oof a jockey) and writer Greg Kwedar have created a manly and humble hero, with heroic touches, who faces the biggest race of all, middle age with its broken bones and mysterious aches and threats from younger, healthier bucks. The main annoyance is his putative son, Gabriel (Moises Arias), who requires an emotional connection Jackson is slow to adopt.

Yet, Jackson meets each challenge with an inner goodness to slowly enrich a life he might have forsaken. As he offers his seasoned riding boots to Gabriel, the sweetness of this aging rider is manifest.

No grand action intrudes the minimalist plot, just a slow regret for parts of life not lived but now renewed in small acts of kindness. After all, the action takes place at a track in Phoenix, where lenser Adolfo Veloso has caught the glowing sunsets as Arizona has every night, each an emblem of loss to be followed by a sunrise of rebirth.

You'll not see a more soothing, poignant, and reaffirming indie this year-quite the opposite of The Power of the Dog, but in a similar way artfully painting the inevitable changes of time. Nomadland better expresses what Jockey hopes to do: reaffirm human dignity and its hope for a better life.

Here is a blockbuster antidote that satisfies as only an intelligent minimalist work of art can because it's all about character.

It has been said that the writer-director, whose father was a jockey, wrote the script with Clifton Collins Jr. In mind. During the movie we never learn the age of his character Jackson but Collins was about 50 during filming so I'm going with that age. A winning jockey at 50 or older is rare, in fact the great Bill Shoemaker was 54 when he won the 1986 Kentucky Derby and that, I believe, is the record. At least for big races.

This is a movie with little action but deep in character study. Almost all of it takes place at the Turf Paradise racetrack in Phoenix. Most of the "actors" are actual working jockeys and horse people. I believe there are only 4 characters portrayed by professional actors.

All this gives the movie an authentic feel, like we are looking at the real life and struggles of a 50-yr-old jockey with a number of medical issues, a jockey who knows his career is winding down. At one point he tells the long-time trainer "I believe a have two more good years in me."

This is a good movie, we care about each of the characters, and it gives a good glimpse into the real life of jockeys.

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library.

I went in thinking this movie would play out one way and it surprised me with how real the story felt. Actors were incredible and you can tell the Director has a documentary background. Highly recommend!

Clint Bentley really portraits his character very well. He definitely showed his struggle in his health & in his jockey career. The storyline was just okay, wish more highlights.

A simple, yet pretty decent film about an older jockey having to face the facts and the future. It's a rough job and it takes its toll never mind that it is naturally age limited like all athletes, most younger than this. As a fan of racing, I found much of the authenticity here refreshing as most films about racing are pretty fake such as the lousy Secretariat. Most films about horses are sad for some reason. Not all, but the majority. The three principle actors here, veteran Clifton Collins, Jr., Molly Parker and Moises Arias are all fine and I especially liked the relationship between Collins and Parker. They were very touching, however the relationship between Collins and Arias was more unusual and intriguing. There is next to no racing shown in this film, but that's okay as this is about the people, not the horses.