It is a straightforward biography but it treads so gingerly around his mental troubles that you feel something is missing.
The Flying Scotsman (2007)
Rated: 15
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Theatrical Release: 29-06-2007
Synopsis: THE FLYING SCOTSMAN follows the standard blueprint for a sports film: underdog overcomes obstacles to become a champion--but adds the element of the hero's real-life mental illness to make an engaging drama. Jonny Lee Miller (TRAINSPOTTING) plays Graeme Obree, a Scottish cyclist who is... THE FLYING SCOTSMAN follows the standard blueprint for a sports film: underdog overcomes obstacles to become a champion--but adds the element of the hero's real-life mental illness to make an engaging drama. Jonny Lee Miller (TRAINSPOTTING) plays Graeme Obree, a Scottish cyclist who is seemingly past his prime. He has gone from winning races to running a losing bike shop, but he can't be called a quitter. When he learns his old rival will race for a record, Graeme decides to get back in the game. His wife (Laura Fraser, A KNIGHT'S TALE), a fellow avid cyclist (Billy Boyd, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING), and a friend (Brian Cox, RUNNING WITH SCISSORS) all join him in his quest. Though his opponent's bike boasts $500,000 in engineering, Graeme builds his from scratch, even dismantling a washing machine to make the perfect bike. In addition to his lack of a designer cycle, Graeme also struggles with a mental illness that makes it difficult for him to get out of bed, much less try for a world record. But despite his troubles, Graeme is stubborn and driven, and Miller ably captures the zeal of the real-life athlete. Cox may be best known as a villain in films such as X2, but it's fascinating to see him play such a sympathetic character here. For those who love sports movies (or even just dramas in general), THE FLYING SCOTSMAN begs comparison to CHARIOTS OF FIRE. For most people, cycling doesn't hold the thrill of the typical spectator sports such as basketball or baseball, and one might assume that extends to the movie as well. But thanks to its strong characters and the novelty of a film about cycling, THE FLYING SCOTSMAN deserves a look. It could have benefited from developing the mental illness aspect of the plot, but it still adds an interesting element to what would've been a standard film. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Jonny Lee Miller, Laura Fraser, Billy Boyd, Brian Cox, Morven Christie
Screenwriter: Simon Rose, Declan Hughes, John Brown
Producer: Peter Gallagher, Peter Broughan, Sara Giles
Composer: Martin Phipps
DVD Info
Release:
Jun 9, 2008
DVD Features:
- Keep Case
- Dual Side
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Subtitles - English, French, Spanish - Optional
- Disc 1/Side A: THE FLYING SCOTSMAN - Widescreen
- Widescreen - 2.35
Additional Release Material:
- Trailers - Forced Trailers (3)
- Disc 1/Side B: THE FLYING SCOTSMAN - Full Frame
- Full Frame - 1.33
Reviews
Why pay to see someone cycling when they do it on the pavement for nothing?
It’s stirring stuff from start to finish which will make our friends from north of the border proud to be Scottish. Go See.
The underdog plot has been done umpteen times before, of course, but there’s something Miller brings to the screen that transcends the familiarity.
A paucity of pedal power and an abundance of cliché make this Jock-on-a-bike yarn an uphill climb from false start to weak finish. Miller’s brooding hero may well be Flying, but the film never gets off the ground.
Still, there's useful support from Brian Cox as a pep-talking priest, and Gavin Finney's long-take velodrome cinematography is frequently rather excellent.
What cripples the film’s success as a sporting movie is the fact that its director, Douglas Mackinnon, struggles to find a way of making the climactic cycle races interesting.
An engaging mix of sports movie and psychological drama that rises above the routine enough times to excuse some of its more predictable moments.
A typically engaging performance from Johnny Lee Miller takes this slightly above the usual underdog movie cliche.
There’s much to admire here, even if you’re not into cycling. Douglas Mackinnon’s made a fine fist of a great little underdog story.
Engaging, impressively directed and superbly acted drama that succeeds as both an inspirational sports flick and a darkly observed study of mental illness.
Despite some over-egged cinematic touches, this true story of ambition and obsession is so powerfully engaging that it really deserves a wide audience.
Competently made and reasonably interesting, but The Flying Scotsman lacks the kind of exhilaration that inspirational true-life sport films generally need to carry them to cinematic gold
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The Flying Scotsman at IGN
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