Jockey

Directed by Clint Bentley, Jockey follows a middle-aged jockey (Clifton Collins Jr.’s Jackson Silva) as he deals with certain health-related issues and, reluctantly, takes an up-and-comer (Moises Arias’ Gabriel) under his wing. Filmmaker Bentley, armed with a script written with Greg Kwedar, delivers an exceedingly subdued character study that benefits from its intensely authentic atmosphere and a stirring, captivating lead performance, with, in terms of the latter, Collins Jr. turning in electrifying (and thoroughly convincing) work that goes a long way towards sustaining the viewer’s interest even through the movie’s far-from-enthralling stretches. It’s clear, certainly, that Jockey‘s often excessively deliberate pace, coupled with a less-than-eventful storyline, paves the way for an arms-length midsection that is, to put it mildly, disappointing, as Bentley’s penchant for favoring atmosphere over forward momentum makes it awfully difficult, if not impossible, to wholeheartedly embrace the central character’s exploits. There’s nevertheless little doubt that Jockey, for the most part, provides an eye-opening look into a virtually alien subculture, with Clifton Jr.’s career-best efforts elevating the proceedings on an impressively recurring basis.

**1/2 out of ****