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'The Flying Scotsman': Your reviews

Published: May. 7, 2007
'The Flying Scotsman': Your reviews
'The Flying Scotsman': Your reviews

Last Friday, we noted the impending limited release of the Graeme Obree biopic “The Flying Scotsman” and asked for your capsule reviews. We got that and more — several of you wrote to remind us of works we had overlooked in our abbreviated list of cycling films, including “6 Day Bike Rider,” a 1934 comedy starring Joe E. Brown; “Deux Secondes,” a Canadian film about an aging downhill racer who takes a job as a bicycle courier; “Le Vélo de Ghislain Lambert,” a comedy-drama about the misfortunes of a Belgian cyclist; and “Tracks of Glory,” an Australian mini-series about the legendary champion Major Taylor. Properly chastened (hey, we studied journalism and political science in college, not cinema), we now present some of your reviews of the latest cycling flick to grace the silver screen.

Two thumbs up
"Spider-Man," with its multimillion-dollar ad budget, was showing on five of the 12 screens in our local theater. When my wife and I walked into “The Flying Scotsman,” we had the theater to ourselves. There were no local TV ads and not even my cycling friends knew about the movie or that it was showing locally. Eventually about 10 more folks filtered in.

In a world where movies are full of special effects and high-speed car chases, “The Flying Scotsman” moved like a nice ride through the countryside. Well paced, but perhaps too slow for today’s teens, who have grown up on James Bond, “Star Wars” and dancing penguins. The story was well told and acted. My personal favorite was Billy Boyd as Malky, Graeme’s manager. I had not realized that Moser was present when Graham Obree made his attempt on his hour record and it was heartwarming to see his support of the effort that would ultimately steal the record from him.

The darkness of Obree’s personal battles cast a shadow over the film as they have his life. The great triumph of his second world championship did not come across as the inspiration it must have been, as we were still recovering from witnessing his suicide attempt in the depths of his despair.

Nonetheless, it made up for “American Flyers,” which was the last cycling movie I saw, and in my opinion one that set the genre back several years. Two thumbs up for “The Flying Scotsman.” If there were advertising to support the film, it would do quite well.

Jeff Latimer
Rye, New Hampshire

Another two thumbs up
I just returned from seeing “The Flying Scotsman” with my 9-year-old daughter. We were nearly alone in the theater and most likely the only cyclists. The audience included a father and his two teenage daughters who liked the movie solely on the merits of the film.

In short, it was a great film. Some of the sequences in Obree’s life were switched for dramatic effect but as a whole it seemed to represent his career and bouts with depression well.

It's unfortunate that the film will probably not see wide release. I'll buy it on DVD once it's released.

Definitely two thumbs up from both myself and my daughter.

David Wilson
Bellevue, Washington

Obree deserves better than this forgettable flick
My wife and I saw the film last night and found it forgettable. We will see just about any cycling movie, because they only come out about once every 15 years, so we jumped at the opportunity to see a very interesting story about someone who happens to have been a great cyclist.

The filmmakers seemed to avoid any depth in any of the topics that make the Obree story so compelling. They avoided Obree’s depression, except to introduce it meekly into the story by portraying him as moody and saying the “D” word once. Yes, they opened the film with his suicide attempt but went nowhere near what brought him to the act, other than a visit from a childhood bully. This guy rose to the top of our sport while dealing with a debilitating disease and I find that amazing. I wish they showed me more about how he did that.

Obree’s innovative bike position and basement technology must be a mystery to non-cyclists seeing the film. We cyclists know what was going on and we appreciate what he was up against and what he did. The general public has no history of it and the filmmakers must have them scratching their heads.

The battle with the “suits” of the UCI was handled in Disney fashion; six stiffs walking around as if they were attached to each other with one mean guy at the front. Okay, we’re adults – we can spot the bad guys.

Obree deserves better and so do the people who put down the $10 for the ticket. Don’t miss it, though! All that we have in the works is an Lance Armstrong movie, and we’re tired of him.

Vinny Finneran
Evanston, Illinois

Compelling story, sans Hollywood hooey
It was a good movie and a good cycling movie. The pain Graeme felt both in his head and on the bike was readily apparent. Even non-cyclists can walk away with a sense of respect for how hard a sport cycling is. I applaud the producer for sticking to a very compelling story and resisiting the temptation to add some "Hollywood" to the movie.

Sheila O'Connor
New York, New York

Movie is best when Obree’s off the bike
Thumbs up for "The Flying Scotsman.” Terrific bio piece, which ironically, is at its best when Obree is out of the saddle. At its heart this is a story about relationships: Obree and his wife, Obree and his manager, Obree and the minister, Obree and his bike, all brought wonderfully to life by a fine Glaswegian cast.

The effectiveness of the cycling scenes varies. Scenes of him training on the road show off the beautiful scenery in and around Scotland and should have any cyclo-tourist phoning their travel agent immediately after the movie. The atmosphere in the velodrome during the assault on the hour record is also nicely depicted, although cinematically less use of extreme close-ups would have been better. Unfortunately, the world championship pursuit races (my favorite track event) conveyed little sense of what was going on. Don't expect to pick up any technical tips here.

Will your significant other enjoy this movie? Yes but you might want to give him or her a quick tutorial on Francesco Moser, Chris Boardman, and the 4km pursuit beforehand. The movie is telegraphic about a lot of background information, which is much better known to Brit audiences than to American. But this is a movie that works on a human level beyond cycling.

A very good movie, it doesn't have quite the emotional wallop of a truly great movie — for example, "Breaking Away" and (different sport) "Bang the Drum Slowly" — but it comes close.

Gerry McDonald
Evanston, Illinois

Good film, but fails in depicting depression
I just finished watching “The Flying Scotsman” in Seattle and enjoyed it. My only gripe is the typical cinematic effort to capture depression — it always falls short (for a good example watch “The Hours.” But hey, making a great sports film while nailing depression on film — that is one tall order.

If I kept “The Flying Scotsman” in the sports-film category, which it is, I'd give it a thumbs up! Now where can I get my “Flying Scotsman” movie poster?

Dennis Kindred
Seattle, Washington

No blockbuster, but a good watch
It is definitely not a blockbuster, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The special effects used to convince us that the actor is going at speed leave a little to be desired. Having said that, the movie was a "good watch" and I have recommended it to my cycling mates.

Obree was definitely different, always "thinking outside the square" when it came to bike design, even if this did upset the administrators. The film showed Obree’s determination in the face of adversity (some of it his own doing) and coming out on top. It also touches on mental health, which was the dark side of Obrees personality. Humor is laced throughout the movie and you come away with a feeling that it is good to be part of the cycling fraternity.

I would rate it a 6.5 through the eyes of a general viewer and 7.5 from a cyclist’s perspective.

David Milne
Dunedin, New Zealand