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They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Play trailer Poster for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? PG Released Dec 10, 1969 2h 1m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
82% Tomatometer 34 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In the midst of the Great Depression, manipulative emcee Rocky (Gig Young) enlists contestants for a dance marathon offering a $1,500 cash prize. Among them are a failed actress (Jane Fonda), a middle-aged sailor (Red Buttons), a delusional blonde (Susannah York) and a pregnant girl (Bonnie Bedelia). Days turn into weeks as the competition drags on and people either drop out or expire. Rocky, however, will do anything for publicity and initiates a series of grueling derbies.

Critics Reviews

View All (34) Critics Reviews
Dave Kehr Chicago Reader The material is simple and irresistible, and Sydney Pollack stages it well (though without transcending the essential superficiality of his talent). May 26, 2008 Full Review Variety Staff Variety A sordid spectacle of hard times, a kind of existentialist allegory of life. May 26, 2008 Full Review Time Out The acting is strident and overblown, the narrative technique gimmicky and obvious, and the implication that the competitors' situation is a microcosm of a wider-reaching American malaise rather pretentious. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Elizabeth Hardwick Vogue In They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, agony, pain, endurance are not in the bodies of the actors nor somehow mysteriously evoked by their images. Instead, they remain locked in the camera, mechanical, the product not of human knowledge but of technology. Jun 20, 2023 Full Review Ernesto Diezmartinez Cine Vértigo What has happened to Hollywood cinema that it seems impossible that a movie like this could be produced today? Spoiler: Hollywood infantilism. Rated: 3.5/4 Nov 10, 2021 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy To this day, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? holds the record for the most Oscar nominations (9) received by one film without Best Picture being among them. Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 22, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (321) audience reviews
Julian S Shot in sequence, and it shows. The pace sags at times—just as it would in a real-time dance marathon—but Fonda carves through, weary and razor-sharp, a bracing contrast to the vaudeville around her. She’s our anchor. We move in lockstep with her. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/23/25 Full Review Doris B I watched this movie, years ago. One of the most depressing, but thought-provoking representations of the desperation of the Depression, and the lengths people were willing to go to, to get money just to survive! It is an incredible movie, but hard to get through, because you really feel for these people. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/25 Full Review Russ G It might have resonated with those old enough to have lived through the depression, but hasn't aged well as modern audiences won't put much stock in it. The cinematography, sets, and costumes are all well done but it relies far too much on atmospherics with little of the characters' motivations explained. The only characters for whom I had any respect were the minor ones who got a few meals and a place to stay for a few days and had the good sense to move on. Bruce Dern's character torturing his pregnant partner was just too much; I was expecting a miscarriage as part of this sick plot line. It's two hours of absurdity, cruelty, and mental illness that seems to have little point besides the male lead reciting the title as the closing line. Fonda's character turns from determined to the ultimate quitter. It's New Hollywood but it's far from new anymore so give it a hard pass. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/14/25 Full Review CodyZamboni Z Movie is brutal and bleak, Staged so you feel the pain of the marathon dance contestants, You are there, in all its' sweaty claustrophobic realism as the couples dance for months, Residing in disgusting conditions and getting little sleep, The pain and exhaustion is forefront, especially during the grueling derby sequences. To the movie's credit, it goes all in on the cynicism angle, There is no let up. Stellar performances by all, Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/16/24 Full Review Julie E Although the dance marathon of the movie is a dated kind of activity, the characters, their interactions, their reactions, and the revelations of their lives stand the test of time. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/12/24 Full Review William A This was the first movie that opened my eyes to human suffering in "modern industrialized societies", and started me on a life long path of fighting for human rights and pushing against corruption in the upper strata of society. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/06/24 Full Review Read all reviews
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the midst of the Great Depression, manipulative emcee Rocky (Gig Young) enlists contestants for a dance marathon offering a $1,500 cash prize. Among them are a failed actress (Jane Fonda), a middle-aged sailor (Red Buttons), a delusional blonde (Susannah York) and a pregnant girl (Bonnie Bedelia). Days turn into weeks as the competition drags on and people either drop out or expire. Rocky, however, will do anything for publicity and initiates a series of grueling derbies.
Director
Sydney Pollack
Producer
Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff, Sydney Pollack
Distributor
Cinema Releasing Corporation
Production Co
Palomar Pictures, American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 10, 1969, Limited
Release Date (DVD)
Oct 19, 2004
Runtime
2h 1m