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The Athlete

Play trailer Poster for The Athlete 2009 1h 25m Biography Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
29% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
After losing the use of his legs in a car accident, marathon runner Abebe Bikila (Rasselas Lakew) finds a new outlet for his athletic ability and competitive nature in archery and a type of sled-dog racing.

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The Athlete

Critics Reviews

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Mark Olsen Los Angeles Times 11/30/2012
2/5
There are perhaps two better films lurking within "Atletu," one a more straightforward documentary and the other a narrative biopic, but this hybrid falls flat. Go to Full Review London Evening Standard 06/29/2012
3/5
The essential simplicity of this tale about a true hero is often very moving. Go to Full Review Henry Barnes Guardian 06/28/2012
2/5
It's a blend of documentary and drama, but while the archive clips of Bikila's victories are thrilling, the performances are flat and the script tired. Go to Full Review Amber Wilkinson Eye for Film 02/04/2013
3/5
This is an ambitious and brave project which, if it doesn't quite reach the heights it might, is still a worthwhile watch and bodes well for both filmmakers in future. Go to Full Review Jason Solomons Observer (UK) 07/01/2012
Told through reconstruction and archive footage, the story of Ethiopian marathon legend Abebe Bikila can't muster the drama it deserves. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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01/28/2013 The nice cinematography doesn't make up for a sloppily edited film where actually very little happens. The backstory has the potential to be an excellent docu-film or even a decent recreation of events but what's served up is less than inspiring. Great shots of Ethiopia though almost make it worth seeing. Almost but not quite. See more 09/20/2009 this biopic takes an interesting route by intertwining abebe bikila's story with the history of his native ethiopia, lending an importance to his athletic exploits that stretches far beyond mere personal accomplishment. however, it is worshipful to a fault, with its screenplay fawning so excessively over bikila that the other characters stop just short of proclaiming him a god on earth. this causes the film to work at cross-purposes with itself: it wants to be about more than just one man's quest for athletic excellence, yet it also can't help showering that man with praise at every possible opportunity. it's as if the directors don't trust the audience to draw their own conclusions about bikila's stature. at one point, a character comes right out and tells him, "you're a great man." thanks for spoonfeeding me your admiration, Movie. See more Read all reviews
The Athlete

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Cast & Crew

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Davey Frankel

Director

Rasselas Lakew

Director

Rasselas Lakew

Abebe Bikila

Dag Malmberg

Onni

Ruta Gedmintas

Charlotte

Abba Waka Dessalegn

The Priest

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The Athlete

The Athlete (2009) The Athlete (2009) The Athlete (2009) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis After losing the use of his legs in a car accident, marathon runner Abebe Bikila (Rasselas Lakew) finds a new outlet for his athletic ability and competitive nature in archery and a type of sled-dog racing.
Director
Davey Frankel, Rasselas Lakew
Producer
Davey Frankel, Rasselas Lakew, Darryn Welch
Screenwriter
Rasselas Lakew, Davey Frankel, Mikael Amerio Awake
Production Co
AV Patchbay, Cinema Aethiopica, Instinctive Film
Genre
Biography, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Runtime
1h 25m
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