Awesome Movie

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

The previous commentator who rated this film "1" based on seeing the last 10 minutes is laughable and irresponsible. This is a sensitive and will-developed film about a lonely old failed-runner turned coach who lives for running and finds a promising young woman refugee whom he wants to train for this grueling race. She is an illegal refugee from Namibia who runs to forget her troubles -- not into racing -- and he rescues her from deportation and takes over her life in order to train her. Eventually she rebels and leaves because she is young and wants a life of her own, but returns to running and works with him and his bunch of male runners as her group support. The cinematography is excellent and the music -- using local native bands and songs of prominence -- first rate. If the film were such a travesty on racing, why would the sponsoring organization of this grueling race cooperate with and allow the movie to be shot as an exemplar of the race. How many American runners have run 90k? With a good part of the race toward the end a steep uphill? This is a fine movie, a heart-warming story, unlike the vast majority of sock-em, kill-em, torture-em or gen-x mixed-up kids seeking their identity.

Barry, a supervisor in a brick factory in Johanesburg, is a man that wants to train some of his workers for the grueling Comrade marathon. His superior comes to him early in the story to tell him he is replacing him with a younger, more capable black man. Barry, who is of retirement age, doesn't take the news kindly because it will separate him from the four athletes he is training and feels they will not have the discipline he demands of them.One day Barry discovers a young woman running. She is Christine, who shows all the characteristics to make an excellent long distance runner and who will do well at the Comrade. Barry takes her under his wing and even brings her to his suburban home, something that is not looked kindly by the white neighbors who object of the intrusion.Barry's demands and how he deals with the training of Christine makes the young woman leave him. She needs a job and has to find her own way in the world. As the marathon day comes close, Christine and Barry are reunited, but on her terms. Christine goes to win the race as the first South African black woman to do so.Jean Stewart's film doesn't seem to make up its mind where to go. It's not realistic the way he approaches the way he sets his story. One goes along, because it's a predictable feel good movie, where we know before hand how will it end.Armin Mueller Stahl is good as Barry, the man who has tried for the Comrade himself, and failed. Nthati Moshesh is appealing as Christine, a dark beauty who makes a valuable contribution to the film.

Armin Mueller Stahl plays a running coach in South Africa to perfection. He tried running the famous 90 Km "Comrade Marathon" when he was younger but never completed it. Now he is trying his best to achieve that missed goal by training a young African woman to succeed where he has failed. This story is not just about running, but about exceeding limits that you set for yourself and doing things that you did not think were possible. It also gives you a picture of whites and blacks in South Africa today. This is an uplifting movie which can be watched by the entire family.

I rate this a "seven" because the film brings together several treatments which combine nicely.The best treatment is the study of Barry, played by ARMIN MUELLER-STAHL, an Old-Man-and-the Sea type, a monomaniac, misfit sports coach with a questioned past, slipping into oblivion. He clings to just one race as his reason for being: a tough 90 kilo run, hence The Long Run. This character study alone ranks the film as a watcher.The second treatment is the quiet and serene, still-waters-run-deep dignity of the African runner. This treatment is not enough to support the whole film. She is from Pretoria, and is an ideal-type, too-good-to-be-true. Character development is missing except in the one important sense that is key to the film. In the face of hardships both historical and current, and harboring some doubts as to what she is capable of, she grows in strength and breadth from the hardships of race preparation.The third treatment is fairly formulaic: the David-beats-Goliath sports film. From Hong Kong martial arts film to G-rated knock-offs, the combination of stalwart heart plus beloved underdog is successful again. In this film, other issues obscure the routine set-up, thus providing a slight sense of 'maturity'.The fourth and final treatment is Africa itself. Once or twice each decade,we are treated to a major Hollywood film bringing us the sights and sounds and smells of this most enchanting and provocative continent. THE LONG RUN was shot in South Africa. What we see in the background could just was well be viewed in several of the surrounding countries as well. Alas, the film's creators give us only meager examples of this land and life : a brick factory, some runners, and a taste of scenery. Much more could have been included.Propaganda angles surrounding any such film could damage it. It has not the robustness of, for example, HOTEL RWANDA. I was caught up in the beauty and the story. That was enough for me ,,, and I hope, for you.