Sundance Film Festival movie review: 'Jockey'

Clifton Collins Jr. is heartbreaking and brilliant as a veteran horse rider facing his mortality and an uncertain future in the drama 'Jockey' (premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival).

In short: Aging jockey Jackson (Clifton Collins Jr.) aims for a final championship, when rookie rider Gabriel (Moises Arias) arrives claiming to be his son. Molly Parker also stars. Directed, co-written by Clint Bentley ('Transpecos').

Horse racing is among the oldest sports in the United States. The Triple Crown winning horses are legends of the sports world. But the naturalistic film 'Jockey' looks at the horse racing world from the unglamorous perspective of the jockey. The film has an intimacy and texture that feels more akin to a documentary than a strict narrative. One scene in particular near the film's opening, wherein jockeys recount their numerous, life-changing injuries, rings with searing authenticity.

This character portrait of a weathered and wary horse rider finds Jackson at the end of very long career. This aching drama has more in common with the tragically nuanced 'The Wrestler' than it does with the inspiration 'Seabiscuit.' The film remains laser focused on the shockingly brutal physical toll of life as a racing jockey. Collins absolutely embodies a veteran athlete in denial that his body is beginning to betray him - even if he knows the truth deep inside. At its core, 'Jockey' finds a man determined to maintain control of his life, even as time and his health conspire against him.

Clifton Collins Jr. is arguably one of the most undervalued actors working today and 'Jockey' gives the always great performer a chance to take center stage. Collins brilliantly balances the brash demeanor of a once invincible athlete with the nuanced vulnerability of a man who internally knows his time as a racer is running out. It's this contrast of grit, hubris and awareness that Collins masterfully pulls together to create a complex and conflicted man who knows what is at stake - yet he keeps recklessly pushing the boundaries. It's easy to see the same qualities that made Jackson an accomplished rider for decades have also become a liability to the aging rider.

'Jockey' is light on plot structure, but more than makes up for it with pure immersion into the horseracing world as Jackson clings onto his last days of horse riding. Counter to most films, this drama shines brightest in its observant moments that allow the audience to feel the wear and tear racing inflicts on its unheralded riders. To the uninitiated, seeing the riders wince and grit through years of aches and pains impresses how much they've sacrificed physically ... for a sport where even a rider as accomplished as Jackson has little to show for all his agony. While the plot strings all these moments together, 'Jockey' loses emotional momentum every time the plot needs to lurch forward a bit. This film's quiet scenes outperform all of the film's plot-centric turns needed to keep the story moving along.

Final verdict: This slice-of-horseracing-life is a pure showcase for the tragically underrated Clifton Collins Jr and a truly riveting behind-the-scenes look into the brutal life of horse riding.

Score: 4/5

'Jockey' screens at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. This drama is not yet rated and has a running time of 99 minutes.

Directed by Clint Bentley / Screenplay by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar / Music by Aaron Dessner & Bryce Dessner / Cinematography by Adolpho Veloso / Film Editing by Parker Laramie / Production Design by Gui Marini / Starring Clifton Collins Jr., Moises Arias & Molly Parker