The Electric Horseman(1979)- User Reviews

Anyone who thinks that Jane Fonda was way too exposed in the limelight or would've perfrerred a performer of a lesser kind, is out on a limb. As far as I'm concerned, Miss Fonda was perfect in her respected role and anyone who wish to argue on this issue, may be free to do so, but's all in the purpose of expressing their opinions.

It's a misnomer into thinking that the plot was about a rodeo cowboy (Robert Redford) rescuing a horse who's about to be dosed on heavy drugs. No, the steed was already doped on drugs and Sonny (Redford) knew this was happening and his retaliations are what's the real drving force in this obscure an underrated flick in the late 1970's.

This is a tale about a man who has potential to be better about himself, but feels pulled back from what he really is. The horse depicted in the movie is a symbolic figure that equally defines the characteristic of Sonny Steele. Like the horse, Sonny also feels pulled into, exposed and unworthy. So Sonny takes the horse into his wings and rectifies the horse's energy to renewal his reason for being alive much like Sonny's character does. While trying to keep on the story of rectifying one's well-being, Jane Fonda's Alice Martin attempts to find her true calling in life is as she's been lowered to an uptight, pill-inducing, and feeling the pinch and stress of life as a journalist. And of course while these changes commence, we have a picturesque view of the American countryside.

Speaking of Fonda, she is famous for her porttrayal of ambitious but badly scarred career motivated women, like she was in "Barbarella", "Klute", "Monster" and of course this movie "The Electric Horseman" is no exception. She feels like there's no need for a man in her life, but she was perfectly cast as the hards as nails reporter and I can't find no other actress who could perform this role any better than Fonda does here. The chemistry between her and Robert Redford was excellent as they collaborated before this movie came out so they know each other very well in terms of strengths and weaknesses.

So the message delivered in "The Electric Horseman" is that it is never too late to refind yourselves and that the story illustrates this struggle very well. In the end, when you're sad and not happy with your life, there's always alternatives to find what's holding you back and to just pull yourself up and get back on track again.