I didn't really know much about On Swift Horses but I was really excited about the stellar cast so I decided to see a matinee at the Broadway yesterday. It looks beautiful and has a powerful message but I found it strangely underwhelming. After a troubled childhood, Lee Walker (Will Poulter) has a plan for his life which includes going out West to California, buying a house, and starting a family but his wife Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and his brother Julius (Jacob Elordi) feel constrained by the conventions of the 1950s. Muriel begins betting on horse races but she hides her winnings from her husband. Julius takes a job as security in a Las Vegas casino even though he still acts as a card sharp. However, the biggest gamble that Muriel and Julius take is to begin clandestine relationships with Sandra (Sasha Calle) and Henry (Diego Calva), respectively. Will they risk it all for love? I am really torn on this because the visuals are absolutely gorgeous and I enjoyed the performances because they are filled with so much wistful longing shown with lots of closeups on the beautiful faces of Edgar-Jones and Elordi. I also think the gambling metaphor works very well for the risk taking and secrecy involved in pursuing a forbidden love and the journey to break free from conformity is one I always appreciate. There is just something that kept me from loving this. The pacing is incredibly slow but I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters because they are not very well developed. I also found the ending to be really ambiguous for all of the characters and I wanted something more after the endless build-up. I suspect that the novel by Shannon Pufahl, upon which this is based, is much better and I recommend waiting for streaming to watch it.
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