Directed by Clint Bentley
Written by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar
Starring: Clifton Collins Jr., Molly Parker, and Moises Arias
MPAA Rating: R
Runtime: 94 minutes
Now playing in theaters

by Ryan Smillie, Staff Writer

Horses are having a moment. Today’s independent filmmakers have latched on to that enduring symbol of the American West, and it seems that every year finds its own “high-profile” (for the arthouse crowd), low-budget equine feature. Chloé Zhao’s The Rider, Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete, and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s The Mustang all provide an outsider’s view of the vast expanse beyond the Rocky Mountains and a modern interpretation of the freedom that’s supposed to be synonymous with a horse. This year’s Triple Crown goes to Jockey, from the filmmaking team of Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar (with Bentley directing, Kwedar producing, and both writing). Though slighter in scope compared to some of its predecessors, Jockey takes an insider’s perspective – Bentley’s father was a jockey and the team filmed at a live racetrack – and features a showcase performance for Clifton Collins Jr., one of today’s best (and most under-sung) character actors.

The grandson of Mexican American entertainer Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, Collins has been working steadily for over thirty years, with dozens of film and TV credits to his name, perhaps most notably as the sensitive murderer Perry Smith in Bennett Miller’s Capote. Collins’s soulful eyes and chameleonic style have been used to great effect in all his performances, but his gifted performances have been given shockingly little attention. That should all change with his role as Jackson Silva, the titular Jockey. Just as his grandfather found success in John Wayne Westerns, Collins also finds success in the West – not as a comedic sidekick, but as a veteran jockey with little to his name.

Cinematographer Adolpho Veloso often catches Collins’s Jackson in the Arizona sunset, his figure silhouetted against the glowing ember tones of the sky behind him. And that’s exactly where meet Jackson – in the twilight of his career, his body deteriorating, and facing what might be his last chance. After years of racing (and a suggested hard-living past), Jackson is starting to feel the effects of multiple injuries over his career. His movement is restricted, and he can’t cut weight to race like he used to be able to. Emotionally, Jackson is going through a lot, and Collins plays him as alternately angry, resigned, prideful, and hopeful, but all with an undercurrent of world-weariness. Bentley and Kwedar’s primary concern is Jackson’s interior – even his racing scenes are shot in tight close-ups, barely registering the world around him as he races – but a greater emphasis on Jackson’s physical limitations would’ve helped the film. Collins proves more than capable of demonstrating his pain, both subtly and more broadly, but much of his condition is communicated through dialogue before we ever witness it. An actor as strong as Collins can still sell it, but a stronger film wouldn’t have forced him to.

Acting-wise, Collins isn’t on his own. Stalwart supporting actress Molly Parker is in fine form as Ruth, Jackson’s no-nonsense trainer with a promising new horse. And former Disney Channel star Moises Arias is well-cast and surprisingly moving as a wannabe jockey claiming to be Jackson’s son. Together, both represent what seems to be Jackson’s last chance: for victory, for friendship, for a family. And surrounding them are the real-life jockeys of Phoenix’s Turf Paradise racetrack. Not only do they provide the movie with a layer of authenticity, but their size provides the only believable comparison that the slender and not-so-tall Collins might not be in peak racing shape.

While a fine film on its own, with an introspective focus, majestic cinematography, and a beautiful score from The National’s Bryce and Aaron Dessner, it ought to be known as the movie that makes Clifton Collins Jr. a bona fide star. I hesitate to call it his best, simply because he has been so good so often, but it’s certainly his most lauded performance to date. There might be a better horse movie at Sundance next year, but I’d be shocked if it had a more deserving star.