Director Michael Ritchie and actor Robert Redford's second documentary-style drama, 'The Candidate', is a political satire that still seems fresh and pertinent today. So it's a pity that 'Downhill Racer', made a short time before, seems so dated by contrast. The music is ugly, and the perhaps innovative ski-ing sequences are now standard in televisual coverage of the sport. The world of ski-ing seems strangely amateurish (probably accurately, given the time the movie was made, but it's hard to relate to today's professional world),and the theme of Americans in Europe likewise seems hundrum in an age of ever easier travel. Perhaps the biggest problem is the flat plot, centred on the arrogant but enigmatic hero; unfortunately, it's a dreary performance from Redford, offering us little insight into his cares or motivations. And a character-driven film without much of a character is never a good bet. I expected much, but sadly this is a boring movie.

I've noted in my reviews of many movies of the 1960's that they take you all over the world to many exotic places that moviegoers would never hope to go to. The plots are hit and miss, but at least those movies had plots. This movie barely has any. It's about a very arrogant and self-centered American skier hoping to join the Olympic team, played by Robert Redford at his height and on his way to being the number one movie heartthrob of the 1970's. Gene Hackman is his coach. Two of the finest actors of the American Cinema of the past sixty years, fated to do nothing in a movie that starts going downhill the minute the credits role. I noted that it took 24 minutes for anything really of substance to happen, and by that time, I was ready to go inside the ski lodge and order a cup of hot chocolate and forget about the movie.

Redford's character isn't interesting oh, and his personality is totally off put in, even when he tries to romance the rather bland Camilla Sparv. It's as long as a Northeast Winter oh, and at least the people who are in the Northeast during the winter can find things to do while here, all you can do is basically sit and wait for something to happen. It's as tedious as watching snow melt. Director Michael Ritchie had his work cut out for him making any of the visuals interest in, and even that wasn't done to be satisfying. Ski films started to take off in the late 1960's, but those type of films were basically advertised as documentaries about the sport. This was supposed to be a movie with a plot. The only plot it deserves is the graveyard of very boring movies.

Downhill Racer is a film with a cult reputation starring Robert Redford as Chappellet, an Olympic skier. Gene Hackman is Claire the coach of the USA squad.

Writer and Director Quentin Tarantino is a big fan of this film. The reason Tarantino likes it?

It is a kind of film that Hollywood does not make anymore featuring the type of character played by Redford. A vainglorious downhill skier who races to win, races for himself and the hell to anyone else.

Chappellet gets selected for the Olympic team and despite Claire wanting him to be more of a team player. Chappellet knows downhill racing is an individual sport.

We see the skiers racing in Europe, staying in anonymous hotels and even having casual sex with groupies. The film's climax takes place at the Winter Olympic Games as Chappellet goes for gold.

Redford plays a character who is a loner, introspective, shallow and selfish. Even at the end he is still selfish, he is in it for himself. There is no saccharine conversion to think of his team mates.

It's a singular pursuit to be a winner which is very much in keeping with real life sports people.