Le cavalier électrique

Being a great fan of the film's stars, Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, especially back when I first saw it, I found this an entertaining, if not memorable romance, western style.

The story revolves around a former rodeo star named Sonny Steele (Redford) who has been reduced to doing cereal commercials in Las Vegas, all the while lit up in a sort of electrified suit. When he discovers plans are afoot to drug his horse lest it become too adventurous, he rides off into the desert, followed closely by a reporter named Hallie Martin (Fonda). At first, Hallie is simply seeking an exclusive story, but as you can imagine, before too long, the sparks are flying. Meanwhile, other forces are also after the runaway horseman, who just wants to return the horse to nature and himself to a simpler life.

The chemistry here between Redford and Fonda is wonderful, as they share basically an outdoor camping trip. Apart from that, the movie is primarily imparting a message about commercialism in our modern society, especially the evils of using both people and animals for profit. I was interested to read that Robert Redford actually bought for himself the horse, Rising Star, that was used in this film. It isn't any masterpiece, but certainly an entertaining movie that points to the beauties of a simple country life.

Sonny Steele (Robert Redford) was a rodeo star who signed an endorsement deal with a breakfast cereal company. His star has since faded. He drunkenly travels around the country pitching the cereal with Wendell (Willie Nelson), Leroy and his light up electric suit. They replace him with another rider and nobody cares. Hallie Martin (Jane Fonda) is looking to write a story but the company won't let her interview him. He arrives in Las Vegas to ride a race horse on stage but he finds the horse drugged and injured. Charlotta (Valerie Perrine) comes looking for a divorce from Steele. He decides to ride out with the horse and not look back.

I don't really get the Hallie Martin character. Was the rodeo ever that big? She's putting in a lot of effort to do a story about a washed-out cowboy. I don't know why that's a big story anywhere. Even if he's washed-out, why would that be news? It would make more sense for her to start looking for the story after he rides out with the horse. Robert Redford returns to the big screen after a hiatus. That may be the reason for its success. Willie Nelson has a couple of great songs. The actors keep the movie afloat despite the poor basic concept of the movie.

I like Pollack. I'm not sure there's anything that I wouldn't at least give a chance, as long as he had an important part in the making of it. This is probably the most formulaic thing I've seen of his... which isn't to say that it's necessarily bad. It's just that, well, if you don't see the majority of what happens in this, coming, the likeliest explanation is that you haven't seen one of the many films that follow essentially the same plot. It's not exactly unpredictable. The points of it are also made in a pretty see-through manner, with poignant speeches and the like. But with those in mind, and the fact that this isn't necessarily meant to be taken too seriously, this isn't bad. The direction is effective. Its editing and cinematography are well-done. The acting leaves little to be desired. The writing is good. The characters are at least average. The music is very fitting. That would be the original version, with Willie Nelson performing it, not the other kind. There is a limited amount of language in it, of varying degree, not a lot of which is terribly harsh. The drug/alcohol material is vague, and the sexuality tends to be tastefully done(for being partially set in Las Vegas, this is mighty clean). I recommend this to any lovers of the four-legged animal, Redford, Fonda and/or anyone else who helped create this. 6/10

OK, first, to the reviewer that suggested "too much Fonda" and would have liked to see Susan St. James or Jennifer Warren in the role of Alice, you are forbidden from ever reviewing again. Fonda was perfect, and more on that later.

Second, this is not about a cowboy freeing a horse who is about to be drugged, as some reviewers have said. The horse was drugged from the beginning. Sonny noticed it, and that was a contributing factor to his subsequent actions.

This movie is about a man who strayed far from who he was, and who sought to find himself again. The horse is metaphoric: it is drugged, exploited, and broken, just like the man. So, the man attempts to find himself, as he helps the horse find itself again, so to speak. And, in the process of trying to report the story, the Fonda character attempts to find herself as well, for she has become neurotic, pill-popping, and uptight in her quest to become a star reporter. And, of course, as they travel the countryside, we find America.

Back to Fonda. Fonda's casting has always been that of the strong but flawed "career" woman, from "Barbarella", to "Klute", to "Electric Horseman". She is independent, doesn't need a man. As the tough and aggressive reporter in personal crisis, she is cast perfectly. St. James has neither the strength nor the necessary equal dose of vulnerability that Fonda can muster. This is about chemistry as well. Redford and Fonda have teamed up before, and the chemistry is proved.

So this brilliant and simple story illustrates and creatively reinforces the the idea of straying from true nature, and the need to find it again.

VERY good film.

This film is not about the horse, is not about a romance.

The film portraits the unstoppable greed of a corporation confronted with the moral values of a true cowboy and how he realize he has lost that spirit that took him to became a cowboy.

This film is intended to show how we destroy everything we touch just to increase our profits.

So, you are right about the hairstyle, the wardrobe, everything is so 70's.

But the message is not old in fact is so XXI century as your brand new digital cameras.

This film made me understand my family, my past, present and future.

Now I see what my father tried to taught me, what my brothers understood years ago.