Champions

In 1979 Bob Champion (Hurt), one of England's most successful jockeys, is diagnosed as having cancer and is given only eight months to live. Through chemotherapy and extraordinary will power, however, he conquers the disease and makes a victorious comeback, winning the 1981 Grand National Steeplechase. Hollywood hokum, right? Wrong. True story and an involving, well-performed film. Although overly dependent on the standard slow-motion treatment, the race footage gives a good indication of how a horse and rider must feel, particularly one in as much pain as Champion. Hurt is excellent as the jockey, as is Francis, the woman who appears mysteriously at his side in th...