Dreadfully Boring

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I liked Shergar and would watch it again. A decent horse movie, not spectacular but good entertainment and a nice reminder of the real Shergar who deserves to be remembered. The story takes place in Ireland so there are plenty of nice scenes of the countryside and local scenes. The horse who plays Shergar is magnificent. There's a typical boy-girl friendship and wise Grandfather. It was nice to see Ian Holm in his character as a tinker. This is based on a true story about a champion racehorse named Shergar who was kidnapped and held for ransom. The film uses that basic unresolved story to underpin this romanticized telling. There are moments of tension and some violence and don't recall any swearing so it's a good movie for anybody. The shots of Shergar are worth watching this for. By all accounts, the real Shergar was as gentle and sweet any horse ever, not to mention a champion.

Rourke does his usual bit part,as a sinister,rancorous,Neanderthalian,ferocious,evil jerk,in the same mold as in "Picture Claire","Out in Fifty","Get Carter","Double Team" and the rest of the garbage he happens to be in.He has very few lines.Of course,all this is just junk,undervaluing Rourke,abasing him,and doesn't matter for his characterization as an actor.Still ,after seeing "A Prayer ...","Johnny Handsome","Barfly","9 1/2 Weeks","Year of the Dragon",etc.,etc.,for many years I considered Rourke an outstanding,smart,intelligent man.I think he has changed since.He looks callous,calcined."He went about with gloomy looks;/Despair inhabited his breast/And made the man a perfect pest."(Belloc,"The Example").I had absolutely no other reason to watch this dull movie except that Rourke was in.

When recounting these events that took place some years ago, (hard to believe this actually happened)i thought, well, there is a basis for an interesting story here. Many secrets were never uncovered, the horse never found, the main conspirators never captured etc.However, this film seems to be distracted by character study, and very little attention payed to the plot. Some other questions are raised though, like why on earth would Mickey Rourke be in this film? Its good to see rourkes career has taken off again, but he must cringe at the mention of this rubbish.If the subject matter interests you, do an internet search on the topic, you'll be more educated and dare i say more entertained. Avoid this.

This was sufficiently intriguing to have me navigate for a reminder as to what really did happen to Shergar (so far as is known). Well, the probable answer is that he was shot within days by the kidnappers because they couldn't control him. But for those who hang on to more imaginative solutions to their mysteries, or who just want to see a film about an orphan boy who loves horses, with some tight-corner escape sequences, a nice old man who muses on the meaning of life, a bit of love interest and yards of Irish scenery (shot on the Isle of Man, it seems)accompanied by the usual sort of Hollywood-Irish music, here you are then, watch and enjoy. I doubt if it was worth roping in heavyweights like Holm and Rourke to make it, though.