Run don't walk

I'm a sucker for a good horse movie. Hidalgo, Black Beauty, Flicka, Dreamer, Seabiscuit, all of 'em. But for me, this latest one, Secretariat, is the best in a very long time.

The challenge of a horseracing film of course is to build suspense when the audience already knows how it ends. The other challenge is to make it about more than just a fast horse. Secretariat does both things incredibly well.

Not only does it capture the drama and miracle of this remarkable animal, it gives a moving and accurate portrayal of Penny Chenery, who literally bet the farm on this horse. There are also the requisite horse racing scenes, although here they are remarkably gritty and realistic. There's one incredible slow-motion shot of the horse running with all four feet in the air that, for me, is worth the price of admission.

I'd be saying all this even if Diane Lane, my future second wife, wasn't in the movie. But she is, and as usual turns in a solid, stoic and moving performance. John Malkovich is also his quirky, funny self, and is outstanding as the trainer who saw Secretariat's potential literally from the moment the horse was born.

The other thing I loved is there's an old Hollywood feel to the movie. A glamourous, golden-agey sensibilty. It reminds me that there's a certain genre of movie - inspirational, edge-of-your seat, lump-in-your throat, not a car crash in sight kind of film - that Hollywood can do exceedingly well when it has the right material to work with.

This is a winning example of it.