They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Myself

What an unexpectedly disturbing film. I stumbled onto this one because I read about it in a recent obituary for Susannah York. I didn't remember her from the Superman films and hadn't seen her in anything else. This film caught my attention because it was directed by the late, great Sydney Pollack. I haven't seen enough of his work.

I love films from this time period, especially the paranoid thrillers and bleak downer sci-fi. Here we follow a bunch of characters during the 30's depression, hoping to win some money in a dance till you drop competition. The spectacle quickly escalates and drama ensues. The good kind.

This feels brutal. And exhausting. Which works well for the ending which they foreshadow through a series of flash forwards. It's one of those films where you know this can't end well and every moment is leading toward some disaster. I loved it.

I'm starting to see the appeal of Jane Fonda. A few years ago I only knew her from Barbarella and Monster In Law but I've since seen this one, Klute and The China Syndrome which were all fantastic and highly recommended.

The rest of the cast are great too, the only other person I recognised was a young Bruce Dern. Check this one out.