Film

Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in New York, plus articles, trailers and more
 

The Lighthorsemen (1987)

Director: Simon Wincer

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

An account of a hard-fought WWI victory for the Australian mounted infantry in Palestine, with details of place and strategy clearly delineated, captions popping up everywhere, and much pointing at maps by moustachioed generals. The British were at a stalemate when the Lighthorse were summoned in 1917 to help plan an attack on the Turco-German army at the desert town of Beersheba, site of an 'unlimited' water supply. A British military intelligence officer (Andrews, a smart Alec with sneering nostrils) sets up a decoy which enables the Lighthorse to take the town by charging the enemy artillery cannons; he also forms the link between the facts and the fictional element. The plot straddles Boy's Own action as represented by four veterans of Gallipoli who are roped in to assist Andrews with his undercover activities, and Women's Own love interest as a fresh-faced recruit (Phelps) discovers he's unable to kill, joins the medical corps, and falls for a nurse (Thornton). It's good to look at: plumed hats, prancing thoroughbreds, and Aussie brute force shot against the clean desert light. Should appeal to people who like to play soldiers.

Author: EP 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields


Cast & crew

Director: Simon Wincer

Producer: Ian Jones, Simon Wincer

Cast: Peter Phelps full cast

Genre(s): War

Duration: 131 mins


Features

Making a name for himself

Making a name for himself

Sin Nombre's Cary Joji Fukunaga learned his lessons well.

To the letter

Forty years later, Costa-Gavras's Z still brims with fury.

Mind over matter

David Cronenberg reflects on a most bizarre body: his own corpus of work.

Fool's gold

Can an Oscar win lead to a cursed career? Here are five stories of postaward professional meltdowns.

We are the championed

Terrorists and teens abound in this year's "Film Comment Selects."

A history of violence

Matteo Garrone's kaleidoscopic Gomorrah wallops you with Italy's crime crisis.

True romantic

James Gray exchanges urban amorality for amour in Two Lovers.

Playing in the dark

MoMA salutes pianist Stuart Oderman's 50 years as the one-man sound of silents.

Junk bonds

Cast and crew recall the making of the classic NYC drug drama The Panic in Needle Park.