Shergar (1999)

Recently I picked up a DVD of the 1999 movie SHERGAR because it starred Ian Holm and David Warner, two of my favorites, and because as a life-long horse owner, breeder and trainer, I am a sucker for horseflicks. Holm and Warner both had plenty of scenery to chew on, so they did not disappoint, and neither did the movie. I cried buckets at the end. All in all, I think the filmmakers did a good job. There were some painfully Disney-esque moments, but for the most part, the filmmakers practiced reasonable restraint and avoided the gagging-smarm-factor. The location shooting (Isle of Mann) was spectacular.

The ad copy said "Based on a True Story" and I suppose technically that is true. There was a great Irish racehorse named Shergar, and he was kidnapped by the IRA in 1983. What happened after that was completely unknown, until fairly recent (2003) new evidense. Since the kidnapping takes maybe the first 2-3 minutes of the movie, the rest of the movie is completely fictional conjecture. Nonetheless, the filmmakers did an admirable job of creating a compelling (albeit totally fictional) story, with elements of Greek tragedy and bringing to mind Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces.

I was inspired by the movie to visit the internet to learn more. A number of news articles from 2003 filled in a wee bit more actual history. What struck me is the repeated reference to the fact that the kidnappers were not "horse people," and consequently they were not prepared to know how to handle any horse, let alone a high-strung breeding stallion. According to recently uncovered evidense, it appears that the £20 million stallion was probably killed within hours of the kidnapping, simply because his abductors were terrified of him. How interesting.

In some ways, the filmmakers were as ignorant of horses as the original kidnappers, and that is where some of the "painfully Disney-esque" moments came in. However, I've seen far worse sins committed by horse-ignorant filmmakers. All in all, SHERGAR is a good movie.

As a devoted movie-lover and horse-owner, I must say I regret watching this movie. The only good that came from watching it is at least now I know who Shergar was.

The failure of this film rests entirely in its plot, which is pure fantasy (or nightmare) and utterly unrealistic. The ending is so atrocious it destroyed the little bit of pleasure that I experienced watching beautiful horses and scenery.

Before I purchased the movie (on sale), I read the description of the plot thinking it might be similar to "Flash." "Flash" is a very well made fictional Disney movie about a boy who steals back his horse from an abusive owner and rides it from Georgia to New Jersey to save its life and be reunited with his merchant-marine father.

Instead, the movie "Shergar" should come with a warning. It is far more similar to "Phar Lap," a well-produced drama which condenses the life of Australia's most famous flat-track Thoroughbred and ends with Phar Lap's sudden and mysterious death.

Like many pleasure-horse owners, I'm not an expert on the history--even the recent history--of international equine celebrities. But even if I had known that Shergar was most likely killed by his abductors, the horribly patched-up ending of the movie made me nearly physically ill with grief and shock.

I will probably keep the movie just as a part of my horse film collection, but I will never watch it again. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, but in this case the truth (still a mystery) is MUCH preferred to this piece of fiction, "based on a true story."

If you love horse movies, purchase a nice new DVD of Coppola's Classic, "The Black Stallion," or Disney's "Flash." You'll get all the beauty, suspense, and thrills without a sickening ending.

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Based upon actual events, this is a speculation upon the fate of Shergar, the five-year-old racing stallion who was stolen from an Irish stud farm in 1983 and never seen again. A well-drilled IRA contingent led by Gavin O'Rourke (Mickey Rourke) makes off with the horse and hides him on the farm of the reluctant Garrity (David Warner), trading upon his family's connections to the provisionals. What they don't know is that Garrity has a stableboy sleeping in his loft. Kevin (Tom Walsh) is a fugitive from a juvenile detention facility who never met his father but knows the man was a jockey and dreams of being one himself. He quickly bonds with the concealed stallion, and when O'Rourke's attempts to extort a ransom from the animal's owners are rebuffed and the horse is threatened with death, Kevin knows he can't allow it. He takes off across the Irish countryside in a wild race for sanctuary, unable to surrender to the authorities for fear he'll be returned to prison, knowing only that he must save Shergar. On the way he falls in with a tinker named Joseph Maguire (Ian Holm) and his granddaughter Kate (Laura Murphy) and has his chance to ride Shergar in a country race before tragedy strikes.

Beautiful scenery and a fine score SHERGAR (CD) John Scott add to the appeal of this movie, and while Shergar's supposed fate is expectedly sad (Ireland's an island, after all--what chance does Kevin have of eluding the IRA forever?), the tag scene offers a ray of happiness for both Kevin and the bloodline. Not for the most sensitive viewers, but enjoyable just the same.

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The movie poster/cover is misleading, in that the movie star names at the top do not correspond with the faces under the names. The names on the cover are purely for recognition (sales), but all are in supporting roles. This would make a difference in Ireland, but I doubt that the names are as recognizable here in the U.S. The credits are in alphabetical order which, although fair, give no clue as to top billing. I suggest that the stars are as pictured, not as captioned or credited, i.e., Tom Walsh (foreground) as Kevin Doherty, Laura Murphy (middle) as Kate and Ian Holm (background, from Chariots of Fire) as Joseph Maguire, Kate's grandfather. I'm glad I did not read the back cover or reviews before viewing, as the container reveals the plot, as do some reviews, and it was more of a mystery as to what happens, who gets killed or whether the horse is killed in the dramatization of the true story. I felt unsatisfied with the ending, but what can be expected because Shergar's fate is still unknown after all these years. The movie/story is an example of how kidnapping can be just as senseless as terrorism and it happens that terrorists utilize kidnapping here in a convergance stranger than fiction, thus, a good story. Odd to have a story so much about a racehorse, but so little about horse racing. I would have liked to have seen more of the horse and less of the actors whose Irish brogues were heavy enough to cause me to turn the volume up to understand; I played it back in a few spots to catch what was said, but some phrases I could not decipher. The landscape is beautiful on the Isle of Man location and I appreciated the glimpse into Irish life. Not rated here for a theatrical release, the movie is a TV-14 on U.S. cable, probably for violence, as the language seems suitable for all ages. Sectarian-violence terrorism has ruined Ireland, in my opinion, and this adds a horse to the long list of victims.

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This is one of my favorite horse movies it has romance, horses, and mystery. Good choice for your family members of all ages

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