SEABISCUIT is an inspirational and life-affirming true story of triumph and heroism set during the economic crash which brought 1930s America to its knees.

Following the death of his son, businessman Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) rebuilds his life with second wife Marcela (Elizabeth Banks), who suggests they should invest their money in a racehorse.

They hire cowboy Tom Smith (Chris Cooper) as their trainer, and he immediately sets his sights on ill-tempered and badly abused plain bay Seabiscuit.

Despite their own misgivings, the Howards bow to Smith's greater knowledge and purchase the horse. Unfortunately, all of the professional jockeys refuse to ride Seabiscuit - he is too erratic and unpredictable - everyone, that is, apart from 'Red' Pollard (Tobey Maguire), an Irish immigrant abandoned by his parents as a child.

The hot-tempered young man sees Seabiscuit as a kindred spirit - another wounded and battered soul - and man and beast forge an unshakeable partnership.

Together, Howard, Smith and Pollard transform the unruly and ungraceful horse into a record-breaking champion.

Seabiscuit is a beautifully crafted nostalgia piece centring on three men whose dreams have been shattered and who, by chance, find hope in the most unlikely of places.

Writer-director Gary Ross beautifully distils Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling book into a little over two hours of exquisite heart-warming drama.

Cinematographer John Schwartzman delivers breathtaking racing sequences, using slow-motion camerawork to capture the mighty physical exertions of the horses as they race for the finishing post.

Performances are exemplary. Maguire's drifter immediately wins our sympathy as he learns to trust other people for the first time in years, and Bridges and Cooper are wonderfully understated as men rejuvenated by the indomitable spirit and tenacity of a little knobbly-kneed horse.

In this delightful, crowd-pleasing film, Seabiscuit's memory gallops on.

Rating: 9/10