The Dark Horse (2014)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 124 minuten
Country:
New Zealand
Directed by: James Napier Robertson
Stars: Cliff Curtis, James Rolleston and Kirk Torrance
IMDb score:
7,4 (6.837)
Releasedate: 17 July 2014
The Dark Horse plot
"Bravery is contagious"
One-time Maori blitz champion Genesis Potini is living with bipolar disorder. Every day he must overcome prejudice and violence to save his chess club, his family and ultimately himself.
Actors and actresses
Genesis
Mana
Noble
Nurse
Clive
Jedi
Nurse
Sandy
Vagrant Woman
Ariki
Reviews & comments
Collins
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- 7350 messages
- 4348 votes
Penetrating film that paints a portrait of a man who, despite a psychological disorder and thanks to a lot of perseverance, succeeds in offering underprivileged young people hope and perspective. Also actually happened.
Sounds like a feel good. And yes that is certainly true. However, the film is not oversentimental or slick. The film has no sugar coating. The film is raw and grim. Cannot be compared with congeners from the American feel-good school and is therefore not an easy tearjerker.
No triumphant violins or tear-seeking harp sounds here. Here music that just like the film does not feel obligatory sentimental. The background music is sometimes barely audible and does not sound sweet or bad at all. Rather primitive and monotonous and has a very subtly large and powerful impact on the mind.
The scenes speak for themselves. Not much is explained or pre-chewed. The interpretation is for the viewer. No bedspread. A little more thinking. nice.
Curtis' acting is great. Fantastically understated and fantastically exuberant. So great role.
Film that gets under your skin very subtly, very viciously.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mrklm
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- 11629 messages
- 10041 votes
Multi-award winning - especially in his own country - account of Genesis Potini [Cliff Curtis], a brilliant fast chess player whose bipolar disorder prevented a possible career as a chess master. Together with Noble [Kirk Torrance], he founds Eastern Knights, a chess club for troubled youth with the aim of instilling structure, discipline, patience and respect. When Genesis, in a euphoric mood, promises to prepare the youngsters for the New Zealand youth championship within six weeks, he is not only opposed by Noble, who does not want to burden the kids with (more) false promises, but also from his brother Ariki. Wayne Hapi], who doesn't like his son Mana [James Rolleston] doing anything other than loyalty to his own gang.
This is certainly a feel-good film, but writer/director James Napier Robertson doesn't make the road there easy. So no melodrama, but also no problems that disappear like snow in the sun in his well-balanced scenario. Given his psychologically complex role, Cliff Curtis, in a very nuanced interpretation, stands out in a flawless cast in which the young actors also convince.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Onderhond
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- 87623 messages
- 12890 votes
Pretty nice.
Drama and sport often come together, but not from the dramatic aspect with the sport element as a lateral addition. In that aspect, this film stands out, it really takes half a film before chess gets a more prominent role in this film.
As a drama, it's okay too. Well acted, a bit weighty but not overly sentimental and with some powerful scenes. On the other hand, it also stays that way for a while. For some people that is enough, but the film did not really grab the attention and in terms of further stylization or cinematic quality I found it rather on the poor side.
That ensures that the film floats by pleasantly, but afterwards it actually has few memorable moments. Such a "true" text at the end, relevant or not, only detracts from that even further.
But not a bad film to have seen once, only you don't have to ask me much more about it next month.
3.0*
Translated from Dutch · View original
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