Michael Ritchie’s first feature film, Downhill Racer, stars Robert Redford as an American downhill skier emerging on the international scene.  He joins the team when a member is injured and immediately begins to perform well.  Other members of the team keep their distance and his coach, played by Gene Hackman, struggles to reach him.  The film ends with the Olympic competition and, while it has a traditional sports film ending, the presentation is anything but traditional.

For many, the late 1960s and early 1970s were the modern high point in American film making and Downhill Racer shares many of the attributes of the top films of the era.  There is minimal dialogue and the themes and character development are often expressed through images and editing rather than exposition.  Redford’s character is really a jerk – he shuns the rest of the team and emotionlessly has sex with his small town girlfriend, never intending to continue his relationship with her – yet he also earns some sympathy.  Antiheroes, so uncommon in film today, were typical then and Redford’s character fits right in with them.  The Alpine photography is gripping and we even get the camera attached to a skier racing down the hill.  The film was a box office failure upon release but holds up well as a Redford star vehicle and as an example of a distaff sports film that effectively explores the narcissism of the successful athlete.  ✰ ✰ ✰ ½.

MJM  01-01-2012