Buck | Film Review | Slant Magazine

FILM MOVIE REVIEW

Buck Brannaman rides broncos in Cindy Meehl's Buck. [Photo: Sundance Selects]

Buck *½

by Andrew Schenker on June 12, 2011 Jump to Comments (2) or Add Your Own

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Life lessons abound in Buck, most of them tied to endlessly reiterated comparisons between man and horse. That perpetually problematic temptation to project human emotions on animals is virtually a given in Cindy Meehl's film, considering that her project is a documentary profile of the man who helped serve as the inspiration for Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer. Buck Brannaman doesn't actually whisper to any of his equine subjects, but he does spend nine months out of the year traveling the country and giving clinics on horse training, countering notions that violent "breaking" is the only way to tame a bucking bronco and proving that the establishment of an occasionally firm, but always respectful rapport with the animal is both a more humane and more effective means of bringing wild horses to heel.

Buck is also a man given to anthropomorphizing rhetoric, a tool that likely serves him well in his clinics, but proves less effective as the central device in a feature film. Aided and abetted by Meehl, the horse tamer is a constant fount of parallelism, whether comparing his boyhood self (a frightened kid, mercilessly beaten by his father) to an abused horse or suggesting that a person's character and relationship to his family can be deduced by his treatment of his equine pets. As if to prove the latter point, the daughter of this expert horse handler puts in a perfunctory appearance, so we can see that Buck's excellent relationship with animals does indeed mirror his strong sense of family values.

These scenes with his offspring—and others with his wife—are among the dullest in the film. That's because what makes the mild-mannered, if straight-shooting, Buck an interesting subject for a documentary is not his family life, nor is it his personality or his backstory; it's his remarkable facility with horses. Virtually all the film's best scenes show the man in action, as he demonstrates proper handling technique or hauls in an intractable animal with a seeming minimum of effort.

The film's dramatic peak comes via a riveting late sequence in which Buck attempts to tame an especially dangerous animal. Meehl wisely devotes a good 10 minutes of screen time to this particularly perilous showdown, giving us such gruesome details as the horse biting one of Buck's associates in the head. But even here, neither the subject nor the director can resist drawing one final lesson from the experience. "The human failed that horse," concludes Buck, reiterating one last time the parallel between an individual's treatment of an animal and the conduct of her personal affairs (the horse's owner had previously admitted her life's a mess). Even when Meehl hits on first-rate footage of a fascinating practice, she insists—in collusion with Buck—on undermining its strength by reducing it to little more than a device for the delivery of a simplistic, shopworn message.

Director(s): Cindy Meehl
Cast: Buck Brannaman
Distributor: Sundance Selects
Runtime: 88 min.
Rating: NR
Year: 2011

Comments

JustACowgirl on July 29, 2011, 07:47 AM

This is one of the only reviews I've seen and completely agree with. I've been familiar with Buck's methods for over ten years but honestly I now see him as a "Mini Me" of Ray Hunt parroting his techniques and phrases without always crediting him.

Buck is too charming, saccharin sweet, inauthentic. The gee, gosh, golly are overdone in trying to make him a better character in the movie and man in real life. It seems no one is verifying any of the information or probing for the truth, we assume it's been done, after all, it is a documentary.

The shots with his daughter are boring and overdone (and in true Narcissistic form makes her his crown jewel as he admits she's just like him.) Hate parents in love with their children because they mirror themselves.

How remarkably strange his other two step-daughters were COMPLETELY left out as though they did not exist. Family man? Wow.

When Buck talks about his brother, Smokie, in interviews he leaves out at least one big detail. If you Google his brother, you'll find he has had his own horse training business since 2004. You'd think a brother, who touts family values and loving horses, would mention it...this is ALL about BUCK and he only mentions Smokie is retired from The Coast Guard and is content. Wow.

The ensuing interviews with him charmingly repeating the same things over and over again are not impressive. I get the distinct sense they have to push the movie onto people via these interviews. And if you see Buck The Film on Facebook, they are pushing people to leave reviews about the movie. Push, push, push. Talk about marketing!

He CAN go to star's homes and work with their horses while he tells the rest of the world to "come to a clinic" sends a crystal clear message. He's available to the rich and famous, but no one else. Honorable values, Buck? Ray Hunt and the Dorrances would never lower themselves to that level.

I've lost respect for Buck and his obviously super-sized ego as he chases after the all mighty dollar, a big name for himself, famous friends, all under the guise of false humility (maybe his next book will be "Humility and How I Achieved It.")

I loved and respected these methods and way of life because these people were not in it for the money, not endorsing products or making this a big song and dance. But just look at how the cover of his old book "The Faraway Horses" was redone to sell more copies after this movie. Everything with this movie feels like a dog and pony show.

The comment he makes about no one works harder at this than he does unnerved me. Really? Who just made him God? That's a slap in the face to all hardworking horsemen and horsewomen, especially those who DO NOT need the spotlight.

Did Nicholas Sparks interview Ray Hunt for the Horse Whisperer book or movie? I doubt that man of character and focus would touch that with a ten foot pole, he was single-minded in his devotion to the horse and did not want to be famous. He did it all for the horse. That's the kind of man I respect.

Buck drives the million dollar rig, wears a custom made hat, hand-painted tie, real silver tie tack to interviews, it's all too much. I used to respect this man because he was genuine, it was about the horses and not him, seems he's still a showman charming the audience.

I get the feeling a lot of people have bought into the "Emperor's New Clothes."

JustACowgirl on July 29, 2011, 11:40 PM