The Mustang
Matthias Schoenaerts is a violent convict who finds himself taming wild mustangs with Bruce Dern as rehabilitation in this redemption drama.
"Roman Coleman is a tightly wound convict fresh out of solitary confinement at a maximum security prison in the Nevada desert. Still wary of human contact, Roman enrolls in a tough but rewarding rehabilitation program learning to train wild mustangs. Under the tutelage of grizzled trainer Myles (Dern), he takes charge of an ornery horse in the hopes of preparing it for an annual auction. With the wild animal acting as a mirror for his own raging emotions, Roman must learn to tame not only the mustang but also the beast within." (Sundance Film Festival)
Less201996 minsFrance, USA
Drama
The Mustang | Reviews
95%134 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® Score
All reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
New York Post
It's Schoenaerts, one of this generation's finest actors, who makes The Mustang a moving look at human potential for redemption and rehabilitation.
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San Francisco Chronicle
Within no more than a minute of screen time, we know that director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre has authority and vision, and that we are watching a good movie.
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Collider
The Mustang delivers one narrative surprise after the next, not with dramatic twists and turns, but with simple human growth and understanding.
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Slant Magazine
Single-minded and direct in its execution, the film is a hard look at the extremes of masculine guilt and healing.
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Los Angeles Times
Whatever language he works in, Schoenaerts is a singular talent who can convincingly convey danger and menace as naturally as he breathes.
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A.V. Club
It's all well-trod territory. And yet... The Mustang breathes new life into most of those conventions, thanks in no small part to Schoenaerts and his remarkable work.
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Associated Press
A powerful and emotional journey framed by gorgeous sun-soaked shots of the stark Nevada landscape.
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The New York Times
It shouldn't work - none of it - not the metaphor, not the wild horse, not what it all means for the wild man at the centre. It does.
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Time Magazine
You can probably guess every beat of The Mustang ahead of time, but what does that matter? The picture, shot by Ruben Impens, is gorgeous to look at.
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Wall Street Journal
This debut feature by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre opens strong, grows even stronger and, avoiding almost every trap, fulfills its abundant promise.
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RogerEbert.com
It builds instead of races, knowing that it's the accumulation of minor character beats in a film like this one that really matter.
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Variety
"The Mustang" has an arc you can trace, but you will not, I promise you, predict the final shot, and it's a beauty - a tearjerker as delicate as they come.
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Hollywood Reporter
De Clermont-Tonnerre shows admirable restraint, knowing that, in her carefully constructed frames, it can be enough just to get Roman's newly compassionate eyes into a close-up with the expressionless eye of a horse.
Full reviewCollider
'The Mustang' delivers one narrative surprise after the next, not with dramatic twists and turns, but with simple human growth and understanding.
Full reviewThe Mustang | Release Details
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