Robert Redford's adaptation of Nicholas Evans' book The Horse Whisperer is the first film which Redford both starred in and directed. It's commendable work; Redford fulfills off both duties with elegance and flair. He has crafted a magnificent film here that isn't afraid to take the time it needs to flesh out the story. The opening moments are quiet and leisurely, lulling the viewer into a false sense of security. The first plot point occurs, and the rest of the film is about the healing of the family.

The horse whisperer is played by Robert Redford, who has a seemingly magical way with not just horses, but people as well. He works wonders, but almost introduces new problems when he becomes unduly attached to the leading lady, Kristin Scott Thomas.

The drama is convincing, and the performances sincere and heartfelt. Redford's direction is daringly confident, and its pacing is just what the story needs. As a visual bonus, almost all the film takes place outside in the West; the background is almost always filled with gorgeous sweeping vista views.

The movie's one bothersome flaw, however, is that it doesn't explain much about what actual horse whispering is. From the movie, it often looks like voodoo. Horse whispering is anything but -- it's about using body language to communicate with horses the way they do with each other. Of course, no explanation is better than a blatantly out of place, let's-fill-in-the-audience-now explanation, but there are times when it would have been appropriate to have a line of dialogue hint at what it's all about. If a film is going to have a single major flaw, however, that isn't a bad one to have.

One particular area I must compliment Redford on is the plot decisions he made in adapting the book for the screen. The movie's ending is an improvement on the book's soapy conclusion -- here, it serves the story's purpose much more effectively, granting its characters the strength to drive the events, rather than the other way around.