Plot: What’s it about?
Running Free is the story of a young boy and a small horse, who have a lot in common and quickly develop a very strong bond. The young man, Richard (Chase Moore) is a servant child and since he is an orphan, he has no real family and wishes he had someone to love & care for him. But in this town, hard work is about the only thing Richard has to look forward to and that isn’t much at all. Soon however, he discovers a small horse, Lucky and this horse also seems to be all alone, as his mother has died. So with a small link between them, Richard and Lucky begin their friendship and before too long, the two are the best of friends and can’t be separated for the world. Both have dismal futures ahead of them in the mining camps, but neither wants to give in and accept the thankless work ahead of them. So the two work together to overcome the odds, which means they want to escape from the plantation owner and find true freedom. But is this idea of freedom just a dream, or can these best friends really achieve it?
This film follows the same formula as some older animal/child friend movies and to me, that is a very good thing. I like some of the more old fashioned style family films and Running Free turned out to be in the same mold, though perhaps not quite as good in the end. This wasn’t a bad movie by any means, but the child acting is below average and that drags down the rest of the film somewhat. But the kids are good enough not to ruin the film and this was the debut for most of them, so I won’t be too harsh on them here. Running Free is a pretty sweeping storyline and for the most part, the visuals back that up and that adds a lot to the tone of the film. The production values are very good here, with nice costumes, locations, and no real sense of less than moderate budget. I don’t think this crew had a lot of cash to work with, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from watching the movie. This film would make a good rental if you need a family flick, but I don’t think this one has much in terms of repeat viewing merit.
I have to be honest, I hadn’t heard of hardly anyone associated with this film, but that doesn’t mean I overlooked the talent involved. Some of you may have heard of director Sergei Bodrov, who has a few middle profile films, but I think he is the most famous member of the cast & crew here. Bodrov gives this film a very effective visual impact, one that brings across the sense of freedom quite well, much better than I expected. I figured Running Free would have middle of the road direction, since it is a family film, but Bodrov’s work here is pretty darn good in the end. Some of Bodrov’s other films include Non-Professionals, White King Red Queen, I Wanted To See Angels, Prisoner of the Mountains, and The Quickie. The cast here is good also, although some of the younger workers do show their inexperience at times. The performers include Jan Decleir (Molokai: The Story Of Father Damien), Arie Verveen (The Thin Red Line), Chase Moore, Maria Geelbooi, and the film is narrated by Lukas Haas (Mars Attacks!, Leap of Faith).
Video: How does it look?
Running Free is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame version also included on the disc’s flip side. Aside from some minor issues with the source print, this is a superb visual transfer, no real problems to address with this one. The film’s natural color scheme is well replicated here, the hues seem normal and bright, but never too rich or muted. The brown hues take prominence here and look good, while flesh tones seem warm also. I didn’t see any troubles with the contrast either, shadows look good and no detail seems to lost. I did notice some small imperfections on the source print, but nothing to become too concerned with in the end.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby Digital 5.1 track is very active, much more so than I expected in fact. The music comes through in rich form, with the surrounds creating an immersive environment for the effective score. I was so pleased to find an isolated musical score included on this disc, as the film has a very fitting and well crafted score. I also detected frequent surround use throughout the film, whether it be trains rumbling down the tracks or horses galloping across the dusty plains. The dialogue comes across well also, no volume or clarity issues in the least to report. This disc also includes 2.0 surround tracks in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, the film’s theatrical trailer, and an isolated musical score. I wish more supplements were added, but this isn’t a bad selection of goodies, especially on a standard issue disc.
