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Actors: Mackenzie Astin, Kevin Spacey, August Schellenberg, David Ogden Spiers, George Gerdes
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Iron Will |
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Will Stoneman and his father Jack are experienced dog sledders in South Dakota, 1917. One day Jack falls into a freezing river, and bravely cuts the rope to avoid dragging Will and the dogs in too. Without him, Will and his mother are in danger of losing the farm. She wants to sell the dogs to pay Will's college fees, but he decides to enter a dog sled race from Winnipeg to Saint Paul, Minnesota, for the prize money of $10,000. Ned Dodd, their Indian handyman, agrees to train him. He starts the training by waking Will early and dumping him in the snow. His mantra is "run longer, sleep less". Will must learn to run through the night to have a chance of winning. He trains by running, pulling the sled and throwing a medicine ball, to develop stamina, focus and balance. Ned gives him healing medicines and the final advice: "trust the dogs, trust yourself".
In Winnipeg, the organizer is reluctant to let a 17-year-old race, but an American newspaperman, Henry Kingsley, seeing Will as good copy, supports him, and reminds everyone that Will may be fighting in a war soon - is he not man enough to run a race? Will joins the other ten racers. Borg Guillarson, the Swedish champion, tries to intimidate him from the start, but Joe Macpherson from Montana befriends him. In their luxury train, the sponsors of the race are betting on how long Will will survive, while Kingsley tries to find new angles for his story.
The race through the snowy wilderness is tough and gets tougher when the blizzard starts. Borg's dirty tricks put Joe and one of the Canadians out of the race, and later he sets his fierce wolf-dog on Gus, Will's lead dog, injuring him badly. Will uses Ned's medicines to save his life, but Gus has to ride on the sled for the rest of the race. Kingsley comes up with the nickname "Iron Will". Will makes headlines across the country as a symbol of hope and determination, and he is amazed when he passes through a small town and is greeted as a hero.
--Maureen Evans, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Iron Will |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 50%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1900-1920's
Wilderness adventure
Yes
Plotlets:
- a race!
Terrain
- ice/snow
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- athlete
Age:
- a teen
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- short/standard straight (man)
Body type
- average (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- athlete/coach
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 20%
Hair color
- bald
Hair type
- (man) bald
Body type
- muscular (man)
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Scandinavian
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
The Americas (not US):
Yes
The Americas:
- Canada
Misc setting
- moving train
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- in awe
How many deaths in film?
- 0 (not a murder mystery)
How much use of techno gadgets?
- 1 ()
Any profanity?
- None
If this is a kid's movie...
- Ages 10-15
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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