War Horse

PG-13

Released Dec 25, 2011

2 hr. 26 min.

History

Drama

War

List

75%

244 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Albert (Jeremy Irvine) and his beloved horse, Joey, live on a farm in the British countryside. At the outbreak of World War I, Albert and Joey are forcibly parted when Albert's father sells the horse to the British cavalry. Against the backdrop of the Great War, Joey begins an odyssey full of danger, joy and sorrow, and he transforms everyone he meets along the way. Meanwhile Albert, unable to forget his equine friend, searches the battlefields of France to find Joey and bring him home.

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Critics Consensus

Technically superb, proudly sentimental, and unabashedly old-fashioned, War Horse is an emotional drama that tugs the heartstrings with Spielberg's customary flair.

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Allanilton D

O FILME E LINDO DEMAIS! SEU ÚNICO DEFEITO E FALTAR DE CARISMA COM OS PERSONAGENS HUMANOS

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/02/24

Full Review

Daniel F

This is a movie I'll be watching with my children to grandchildren. Not many movies come along with an amazing storyline followed by beautiful cinematography. How could anyone dislike a film with an ongoing story of a horse that endured so much to end back in full circle.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/11/23

Full Review

A true masterpiece. My favorit move. It is a perfect story. I highly recommend this to everybody who likes good moves.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/03/23

Full Review

Dave S

While Steven Spielberg's War Horse is clearly one of his most polished films over a career of highly polished films, it is also one of his soppiest and shamelessly manipulative efforts. The production values, as always, are top-notch, but, instead of using the characters and story to generate emotion, Spielberg uses the swelling score by John Williams to dictate to the audience exactly how they should be feeling at any given moment. A similar idea – the life of an animal and its relationship with humans – was explored to much greater effect in Robert Bresson's 1966 classic Au Hasard Balthazar, an austere film that never panders to the audience nor feels the need to explain itself or the emotions it generates.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/04/23

Full Review

Charlie H

Production values were lush. Casting was good. Directing excellent. But the story itself was just plain boring. If you're a big fan of horses it can have some appeal. Barring that, look elsewhere for entertainment.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/28/22

Full Review

Audience Member

I got about 20 minutes in and had to turn it off. Watching people talk to a horse and the horse then does what it was told to do is just a bit to far fetched to even be believable, spending another hour watching mind numbing scenes was too much. No wonder people think they can walk up to a wild animal in Yellowstone National park and pet the cute fuzzy bison, they watch this drivel and think animals commune with us.....ugh!

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

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Steven Spielberg

Director

Emily Watson

Rosie Narracott

David Thewlis

Mr. Lyons

Jeremy Irvine

Albert

Peter Mullan

Ted Narracott

Niels Arestrup

Grandfather

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Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

Spielberg is mindful of the family audience, but still captures the misery of trench combat.

Nov 16, 2022

Full Review

Deborah Ross

The Spectator

This is always emotionally obvious, as well as consistently predictable. Something important has been lost in translation that cannot be compensated for by realism or pictorial beauty.

Aug 31, 2018

Full Review

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

[Not] entirely satisfying … Somehow, though, the sum of the parts are more than the whole … It is a film of a kind we don't see any more, that it would be good to see more of.

Rated: B+

Feb 22, 2012

Full Review

Iván Kazi

EscribiendoCine

War Horse marks Spielberg's return to the war genre and the continuance of his journey along the promised path. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 10/10

Jun 21, 2023

Full Review

Danilo Castro

Next Best Picture

“War Horse” is a solid effort from an all-time filmmaker, so it will always be looked upon as lesser. If someone else had made it, its reputation might be better, but as it stands, it’s a solid effort with some remarkable flourishes and structural flaws.

Rated: 7/10

Mar 23, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Spielberg delivers an instant classic, and one of 2011’s very best films.

Rated: 4/4

Mar 6, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Albert (Jeremy Irvine) and his beloved horse, Joey, live on a farm in the British countryside. At the outbreak of World War I, Albert and Joey are forcibly parted when Albert's father sells the horse to the British cavalry. Against the backdrop of the Great War, Joey begins an odyssey full of danger, joy and sorrow, and he transforms everyone he meets along the way. Meanwhile Albert, unable to forget his equine friend, searches the battlefields of France to find Joey and bring him home.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Executive Producer: Frank Marshall, Revel Guest
Screenwriter: Lee Hall, Richard Curtis
Distributor: DreamWorks SKG
Production Co: Amblin Entertainment, Kennedy/Marshall
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Seq. of War Violence)
Genre: History, Drama, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 23, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $79.9M
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital

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