Rating: 
Summary: Redford challenges Corporate/Las Vegas America - and wins.
Review: I've watched this movie many times since I've showed it frequently to my Advanced Placement U.S. History classes in the post-A.P. Exam period. It's a good story with a real message. Since I despise the "plastic" world of Disney and Las Vegas, I have to love the lone cowboy who rebels against those artificial values. Since I'll be riding off into "retirement" in just a few days, I especially love the ending. The Redford cowboy "retires" too; a new life lies ahead and you know he will do just fine.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining Romance
Review: If you're a fan of Robert Redford, catch this one: his "modern day cowboy" movie. Kind of a silly plot but good music by Willie Nelson. Jane Fonda looks mighty fine in her tight blue jeans as well!
Rating:
Summary: A REDFORD CLASSIC
Review: In THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN Robert Redford plays Sonny Steele, an aging all-around champion rodeo cowboy who, as the result of numerous injuries and losing step with rodeo, has lost his vision and become a corporate spokesman for a cereal company. He somehow puts up with a lifestyle that, while making him rich beyond his dreams, has reduced him to nothing more than a poster boy. When Steele discovers that the company has purchased a classic racehorse, Rising Star, and is determined to do the same thing to the horse as they have done to him, doping it up and dragging it down in the process, he decides to save the horse's dignity and in the process saves himself as well. Redford's performance is wonderful and spontaneous. Jane Fonda shines as a TV reporter bent on getting a story at any cost and in the end gets the cowboy too. Together Redford and Fonda pack the screen with a chemistry that quite literally mesmerizes every viewer. Willie Nelson is terrific as a Steele handler and contributes with some of his best musical offerings and look for an early Wilford Brimley cameo. Buy this one for the soundtrack alone. I keep hoping that one of these days Willie Nelson fans and lovers of the classic western harmonica tracks in this one will stage some sort of a revolt to get it released. Until then the movie's the next best thing. Douglas McAllister
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly insightful, lots of fun to watch
Review: It's hard to like Sonny and Hallie when we first meet them. He's a tipsy has-been cowboy, unsuccessfully living off past fame, and she is an aggressive journalist out for a story and thus a little fame for herself. But then, enter a champion race horse in need of rescuing, and Sonny (Redford) becomes the heroic cavalry, kidnapping the horse and riding off into the Las Vegas night, possibly to rescue himself at the same time. Hallie(Fonda)follows and not surprisingly, but perhaps too quickly, the prickly relationship between these two turns to romance. Perhaps for a few days, during the escapades as Redford sneaks the racehorse across some lovely countryside enroute to being set free from the chains of society, these two characters find what they are truly searching for -- intimacy. The romance is fun, since both Redford and Fonda know how to do on-screen romances very well. But more than that, this is a story with its poignant moments probably more solidly captured in an indictment of advertising and corporate hype, a warning about industrial profiteering, absurd greed, and the loss of humanity. There are a few political messages forced into the plot which are distracting from the overall moral story. But for the most part this is a fun movie. The characters Redford and Fonda meet up with along their route are entertaining and very human. Not a glamorous film, but very nitty-gritty, this is an enjoyable story about caring, really. Caring about the well-being of an animal or about people, about affording living things respect rather than dressing us all up to be celebrities or consumers. It ends beautifully also, with Redford trying to hitch a ride on a lengthy stretch of lonely highway, as the camera pulls farther and farther away and Willie Nelson sings an appropriately romantic and misty song . . .
Rating: 
Summary: A behind the scenes look of fame.
Review: Redford as usual puts in a good performance and with the horse, the movie was enjoyable and good enough to buy. The great footage of the horse running free deserves five stars.
Rating:
Summary: charming odd-couple story
Review: THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN marked the long-awaited re-teaming of Robert Redford and Jane Fonda since the acclaimed BAREFOOT IN THE PARK. Sonny Steele (Robert Redford) is a washed-up rodeo rider who is reduced to appearing in breakfast cereal endorsements. When Sonny takes off with his horse, Rising Star, upstart reporter Hallie Martin (Jane Fonda) decides to follow him in order to bag the scoop of the century. Slowly, an unlikely romance blooms between Sonny and Hallie, as Sonny prepares to release his long-suffering steed into the wild. A charming romantic film, THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN is sadly hindered by a slow-moving pace and an unsatisfactory ending, which gives no hint as to whether there is a future for the pair. Valerie Perrine turns in a great performance as Sonny's ex-wife Charlotta, and singer Willie Nelson is used to great advantage as one of Sonny's pals. The DVD includes the trailer.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: There is something at the core of this tale of redemption that tugs at me each time I watch it. It is a story of fallen champions and their search for a new beginning. Sidney Pollack is an outstanding director. He successfully weaves several themes - the role of the news media in our culture, man vs. machine, corporation vs. individual - with the Redford/ Fonda romance. The acting is subtle and strong , including the many outstanding supporting performances (Nelson, Perrine, Saxxon, Brimley, etc). The photography is breathtaking. This movie is about finding the goodness in yourself and others.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: There is something at the core of this tale of redemption that tugs at me each time I watch it. It is a story of fallen champions and their search for a new beginning. Sidney Pollack is an outstanding director. He successfully weaves several themes - the role of the news media in our culture, man vs. machine, corporation vs. individual - with the Redford/ Fonda romance. The acting is subtle and strong , including the many outstanding supporting performances (Nelson, Perrine, Saxxon, Brimley, etc). The photography is breathtaking. This movie is about finding the goodness in yourself and others.
Rating:
Summary: Charmingly enjoyable.
Review: This is a movie I've pulled out many times when I've wanted to watch something light and carefree. Although it isn't one of Redford's best films (or even in his top 5...6...7...), it still has a certain something that's hard for me to pin down. I don't believe I would like it nearly as well if someone other than Redford had the starring role. Although Jane Fonda is very solid as the ambitious `pain-in-the-neck' news reporter, and Willy Nelson is surprisingly good in his supporting role (better yet, two or three of his songs run throughout the movie), it's Redford (and his boyish charm) that truly carries this film. If you've never seen this Redford/Pollack vehicle, there are some excellent reviews that outline the basic plot (especially the November 18th review). If you're looking for something to entertain you for a couple of hours, and aren't expecting a film classic, this one will do just fine, and maybe even surprise you. Enjoy it for the horse, for the western countryside, for the romance, or just for the plain, light-hearted fun of it. Between 1 and 10, "The Electric Horseman" gets a solid 7.
Rating:
Summary: Charmingly enjoyable.
Review: This is a movie I've pulled out many times when I've wanted to watch something light and carefree. Although it isn't one of Redford's best films (or even in his top 5...6...7...), it still has a certain something that's hard for me to pin down. I don't believe I would like it nearly as well if someone other than Redford had the starring role. Although Jane Fonda is very solid as the ambitious 'pain-in-the-neck' news reporter, and Willy Nelson is surprisingly good in his supporting role (better yet, two or three of his songs run throughout the movie), it's Redford (and his boyish charm) that truly carries this film. If you've never seen this Redford/Pollack vehicle, there are some excellent reviews that outline the basic plot (especially the November 18th review). If you're looking for something to entertain you for a couple of hours, and aren't expecting a film classic, this one will do just fine, and maybe even surprise you. Enjoy it for the horse, for the western countryside, for the romance, or just for the plain, light-hearted fun of it. Between 1 and 10, "The Electric Horseman" gets a solid 7.
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